Private  Library 

—OF- 

GRANT  THORNTON, 

NO  ^2  


.UN.VERGiry  OF 
ILLINOIS  LiBRABV 
AT  URBANA  c  l^Sl 


TJEFENCE  OF  FORT  SUMTEJR. 


POPULAR  HISTORY 

OF  TH? 

UNITED  STATES. 

BT 

JOH]sr  FEOST. 

CONTINUED  TO  THE  INAUGURATION  OF  GBK  GARFIELD, 
BY  JOHN  G.  SHEA. 

ILLUSmATED. 


WABHINQTON  AND  LAPATBTTB. 

NEW  YORK: 

HURST  &  CO.,  PUBLISHERS, 

NO.  122  NASSAU  STREET. 


-ARGYLE  PRESS, 
Printing  and  Bookbindinc 

J4  &  36  WC06TER  ST.,  N.  Y. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  L 

DISCOVERT  OF  AMERICA. 

CoIumbuB,  p.  13 — Portuguese  Discoveries  in  Africa,  14^CvOlumbu8  m 
Spain,  15 — Columbus's  Outfit,  17 — Landing  of  Columbus  at  SanSdvador 
18— Veapucius,  19 — Fate  of  Columbus,  20. 

CHAPTER  II. 

NORTH  AMERICA  DISCOVERED  AND  8BTTLKD. 

The  Continent  discovered  by  the  Cabots,  p.  20 — French  DiacoriBrieBy  81 
— Cartier,  21 — Champlain,  22— -Quebec  settled,  23. 

CHAPTER  III. 

THB  SPANIARDS  TAKE  POSSESSION  OF  FLORIDA. 

Ponce  de  Leon,  p.  23 — Narvaez,  24 — Soto's  Expedition,  26 — Soto  hi 
Georgia  and  Alabama,  26— In  Missouri,  27 — The  French  in  Carolina, 
Massacre  of  the  French  in  Florida,  29 — St.  Augustine  settled,  29. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

ENGLAND  ATTEMPTS  TO  COLONISE  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Drake,  p.  31— Gilbert,  31--English  in  North  Carohna,  32— First  Settle- 
ment of  Roanoke,  32 — Virginia  Dare,  34 — Gosnold,  34 — Pring,  Wey- 
mouth, 35. 

CHAPTER  V. 

COLONISATION  OF  VIRGINIA. 

A  Company  lormed,  p.  35 — First  Charter  of  Virginia,  36 — Newpon 
sails,  38 — Settlement  of  Jamestown,  38 — Adventures  of  Captain  Smith 
39— The  Gold  Mania,  41— Second  Charter,  42— Lord  Delaware,  43— > 
Departure  of  Captain  Smith,  44 — The  Starving  Time,  45 — Arrival  of  Lord 
Delaware,  46 — New  Patent  created,  47 — Marriage  of  Pocahontas,  47— 
Tobacco  cultivated,  48— Tyranny  of^  Argall,  49. 

CHAPTER  VL 

VIRGINIA  ACQUIRES  CIVIL  FREEDOM. 

Governor  Yeardly  arrives,  p.  50 — First  colonial  Assembly,  50— The  Vir- 
finians  acquire  Homes,  50 — Introduction  of  Slavery,  52 — ^The  Indiana,  53 
^s^reat  Massacre,  53. 

CHAPTER  Vn. 

INDIAN  WAR— DISSOLUTION  OF  THE  LONDON  COMPANY. 

The  Great  Maaaacre  avenged,  p.  55 — Dissolution  of  the  London  Company 
16— Progress  of  civil  freedom,  57 — Designs  of  Charles  I.,  58 —Indian  War 

3 


4  CONTENTS. 

69 — Episcopacy  ettablishcd,  69 — Virginia  adheres  to  Chailee  I,  59--Ct|il' 
♦iilatca  U  the  Commonwealth,  60. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

VIRGINIA  AFTER  THE  RESTORATION. 

The  Restoration,  p.  61 — Restrictions  on  Commerce,  61 — Discontent  s 
the  Virginians,  62 — Bacon's  rebellion,  64 — Heroism  of  Berkeley,  66— 
War,  66 — Virginia  retains  her  Freedom,  67 


CHAPTER  IX. 

SFTTLEMENT  OF  MARYLAND. 

Clavbome*8  Exploration,  p.  67 — Sir  George  Calvert,  68 — Charter  of 
Maryland,  68 — Settlement  of  St.  Mary's,  70 — Claybome's  Disturbance^ 
70 — Maryland  during  the  Civil  War,  71. 


CHAPTER  X. 

miST  SETTLEMENT  OF  NEW  ENGLAND. 

Raleigh  Gilbert,  p.  72 — Settlement  on  Kennebec  river,  72 — Smith's 
Voyages  to  New  England,  72 — The  Plymouth  Council,  72 — The  Brownifto, 
73 — Voyaffe  of  the  Pilgrims,  73 — Landing,  77 — Massasoit,  80 — Exploit  of 
8tandish,  80 — ^Treachery  of  Pierce,  81. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

PROGRESS  OF  THE  NEW  ENGLAND  COLONIES. 

Gorges  and  Mason's  patent,  p.  83 — Settlement  of  Maine,  83 — Of  Salem 
Mid  Charlestown,  84 — Of  Boston,  85 — Banishment  of  Roger  Williams,  86 — 
Arrival  of  Peter  and  Vane,  87 — Aristocracy  rejected,  88— Connecticut  settled, 
89 — The  Pequod  War,  90. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  COLONIES  OF  NEW  ENGLAND  UNITED 

Attempt  to  revoke  the  Charters,  92 — Persecution  of  the  Puritans  in  Eng 
land.  93 — ^New  England  colonies  united,  94 — Roger  Williams's  mission 
to  England,  95-— Maine  united  with  Massachusetts,  96 — Persecution  of 
Quakers,  97. 

CHAPTER  Xm. 

NEW  ENGLAND  AFTER  THE  RESTORATION. 

The  Restoration  announced,  p.  98 — Arrival  of  the  Regicides,  98 — The 
Kind's  Letter,  99 — New  Charter  granted,  100 — Charters  endangered,  101 
— Kmg  Philip's  War,  101 — Administration  of  Andros,  103 — Revolution  of 
1688,  103 — Border  Wars,  104— Controversy  with  the  Crown,  106 — Capture 
of  Louisbourg,  108 — Question  of  Boundaries,  TO — State  of  the  New  Eng 
land  Colonies  in  1754,  111. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

COLONISATION  OF  NEW  YORK. 

Heniy  Hudson's  Voyage,  p.  Ill — Settlement  of  New  York,  111 — ArgaC, 
112 — The  New  Netherlands,  112— Governor  Stuyvesant,  113 — Cjlonel 
Nichols,  114 — New  York  acquires  civil  Freedom,  115 — The  Five  Nations, 
117 — ^Jacob  Leisler,  120 — Burning  of  Schenectady,  121 — Fall  of  Leisler, 
122 — The  Mohawk  Warrior,  124 — Affair  of  Fletcher  and  Wadsworth,  124— 
Piracy — Captain  Kidd,  126 — Lord Cornbury,  127—  AdministiationsofHun 
Iw       Burnet,  12»— Of  Cosby,  128— Of  Clinton,  129 


CONtBIItl*  5 


CHAPTER  XV. 

COLOiriSATIOV  OF  FEW  JSR8XT. 

fietUementfl  of  the  Swedes  and  Dutch,  p.  129 — ^New  Jersey  grantea  ta 
Berkeley,  and  Carteret,  129 — Philip  Carteret,  130 — ^AndroB,  131 — Bm» 
lington  settled,  132 — ^New  Jersey  under  James  II,  133^Under  William 
■nd  Mary,  133. 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

coLOirisATioiir  of  delawabs. 

Tike  Swedes  at  Cape  Henlopen,  p.  134 — The  Dutch,  134 — Stuvreaant 
rS6-— Penn's  purchase,  1 36-— Separation  from  Pennsylvania,  136« 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

COLOiriSATION  OF  PENZ^STLYAITIA. 

William  Penn,  p.  136 — His  Charter,  137 — Landing  of  Penn,  138 — Treatv 
With  the  Indians,  138 — Pennsylvania  under  William  and  Mary,  139 — Deatii 
of  Penn,  141 — Franklin's  Mission  to  London,  141. 


CHAPTER  XVIIL 

COLONISATION  OF  NORTH  CABOUNA. 

Heath's  Patent,  p.  142 — ^Albemarle  Settlers,  142 — Culpepper's  Inaur- 
cecUon,  144— Separation  of  the  Carolinas,  145. 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

COLONISATION  OF  SOUTH  CABOUNA* 

Sayle's  Settlement,  p.  146 — Hostility  of  the  Spaniards,  147 — Settlement 
af  Charleston,  148— Sothel's  Usurpation,  148— Abolition  of  Proprietary 
Ck>vemment,  160. 

CHAPTER  XX. 

COLONISATION  OF  OSOBOIA. 

Charter,  p.  161— Oglethorpe,  161- Whitefiield,  163 — Spanish  Hoatilitlfla 
63 — Invasion,  164 — Retirement  of  Oglethorpe,  166. 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

COMMSNCEHENT  OF  THE  OLD  FRENCH  WAB. 

Origin  of  the  French  War  of  1764,  p.  166 — The  Ohio  Comyany,  168 — 
Fort  Du  Qcesne  built,  160 — Conquest  of  Nova  Scotia,  160 — Braddoek^a 
Defeat,  161 — Victory  of  Colonel  Johason,  163 — Campaign  of  1766  164 — 
Campaign  of  1767«  164. 

CHAPTER  XXn. 

CONQUEST  OF  CANADA. 

Pitt's  Ministry,  p.  166 — Campaign  of  1768, 166— General  WoUb^  167— 
rail  of  Quebec,  169 — ResulU  of  the  Campaign  of  1760, 170. 

CHAPTER  XXIIL 

THE  BEVOLirriOV. 

Scheme  for  Taxing  the  Colonies,  p.  172 — The  Stamp  Act,  173^¥M 
Continental  Congress,  174 — Repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act,  174 — ^New  Taxes 
imposed,  176 — Opposition  to  the  Taxes,  176 — Affair  of  the  Sloop 
Liberty,  177 — British  troops  in  Boston,  "S — Boston  Massacre,  180^ 
Butdunaon's  Letters,  182-  Destruction  o.  the  Tea,  183— Boston  Pod 


6  CONTENTS. 

Bfll^  185— PriMseedings  of  the  ContinentaJ  CongreM,  186— >ikppii>adli  oi 
War,  188. 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

COMMESrCBMENT  OF  THE  RETOLUTTONART  WAB. 

Battle  of  Concord,  p.  189 — Boston  besieged,  193 — ^Ticonderoga  and 
Crown  Point  taken,  194 — Battle  of  Breed's  Hill,  196— Falmouth  burnt,  198 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

EXPEDITION  AGAINST  CANADA. 

Invasion — ^Montreal  taken,  p.  201 — Escape  of  Governor  Carlton,  201- 
Amold  before  Quebec,  202 — Montgomery  before  Quebec,  203 — Death  of 
Montg'Dmery,  204 — Arnold's  Operations,  204 — The  Americans  retreat,  205 
—Operations  in  Upper  Canada,  206. 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

CAMPAIGN  OF  1776. 

Attack  on  Charleston,  p.  208 — Defeat  of  the  British,  210 — IiidiaTi  War, 
212— Declaration  of  Inclependence,  213 — Arrival  of  the  British  fit  New 
York,  217 — Defeat  on  Long  Island,  220 — Washington's  Plan  of  Op»Tationi», 
222-^Battle  of  White  Plains,  222 — Retreat  through  the  Jerseys,  223 — 
Washington  appointed  Dictator,  224 — Battle  of  Trenton,  226— battle  of 
Princeton,  226 — Washington  reconquers  the  Jerseys,  227. 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

CAMPAIGN  OP  1777. 

The  Confederation,  p.  228 — American  Pnvateers,  229 — La  Fayette, 
230 — The  Prison  Ships,  230 — Capture  of  General  Prescott,  232 — Operations 
in  New  Jersey,  232 — Battle  of  the  Brandywine,  233 — Battle  of  German 
town^  234 — Battle  of  Redbank,  235 — Operations  in  the  North,  236 — Loss 
of  Ticonderoga,  238 — Advance  of  Burgoyne,  238 — Battle  of  Bennington, 
240 — Fort  Schuyler  invested,  241 — Murder  of  Miss  Macrea,  242 — Bur- 
|03me  at  Saratoga,  243 — Battles  of  Stillwater  244 — Burgoyne's  Retreat, 
244 — Surrender  of  Burgojme,  246 — The  Army  at  Valley  Forge,  246 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

CAMPAIGN  OF  1778. 

Conciliatory  Offers  of  England,  p.  248 — Death  of  Chatham,  249 — General 
Ueed,  250 — Retreat  of  Barren  Hill,  261 — Battle  of  Monmouth,  262 — Attempt 
to  recover  Rhode  Island,  253 — Massacre  at  Wyoming,  264 — Defeat  of  Ge- 
neral Howe,  256— Loss  of  the  Randolph,  265. 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

CAMPAIGN  OF  1779. 

Virginia  ravaged,  p.  257 — Putnam's  Ride,  267 — Storming  of  Stony  Point, 
258 — Operations  in  the  South,  269 — Defeat  of  General  Lincoln,  260 — 
General  Prevost  before  Charleston,  261 — Siege  of  Savannah,  262 — Achieve- 
mentfl  of  Paul  Jones,  263. 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

CAMPAIGN  OF  1780. 

War  in  the  South,  p.  265— Capitulation  of  Charleston,  266 — Condition 
of  South  Carolina,  267— Treachery  of  the  British.  267 — Gates's  March  if 
the  South,  268 — Battle  of  Camden,  270 — Proi  eedmgs  of  ComwaUis,  273  - 
Battle  of  King's  Mountain,  273 — General  Gates  superseded,  274 — Dia- 
sontents  in  the  Army,  275 — The  Army  relieved  and  reinforced,  2'36— 
—Arrival  of  the  French  Fleet,  276— Arnold's  Treason  277— Capture  of 
Ifidi^,  278 — Mutiny  in  the  American  Camp,  280 


OONTINM.  t 
CHAPTER  XXXI. 

CAMPAIGN  OF  1781. 

General  Greene  in  the  South,  p.  282 — Battle  of  Cowpens,  283 — Morg;an^i 
Retreat,  284— Greene's  Retreat,  285— Battle  of  Guilford,  286— Greene 
inarches  for  South  Carolina,  287 — Siege  of  Ninety-Six,  287— Battle  of 
Eutaw  Springs,  289 — Affair  of  Colonel  Hayne,  289 — Cornwallis  in  Virginia, 
890 — Arriyal  of  the  French  Fleet,  292 — Preparations  for  the  Siege  of  New 
York,  292 — Washington  marches  South,  293 — Capture  of  Fort  Griswold, 
294 — Siege  of  Yorkiown,  294 — Surrender  of  Cornwallis,  297 — Its  Effects, 
298 — Lord  North  resigns,  299 — Treaty  of  Peace,  300 — Discontent  of  the 
Army,  301 — New  York  evacuated,  301— Retirement  of  Washington,  302 
Character  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  304. 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

FOBMATIOIT  OF  THE  FEDERAL  CONSTITTTTIOH. 

State  of  the  Country,  p.  305 — Insurrections,  306 — Shay's  Rebellion,  307 
—  Convention  at  Alexandria,  308  —  Federal  Convention,  309 — Federal 
Constitution,  310— Formation  of  Parties,  311 — Washington  elected  Pregi- 
dent,  312. 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

WA<«HINGTON's  ADMINISTRATIOlf. 

Washington  receives  notice  of  his  Election,  p.  312 — His  Journey  to  New 
York,  313 — Proceedings  of  the  first  Congress,  316 — Washington's  Tout 
through  New  England,  316— Debts  of  the  States,  317— Indian  War,  319— 
Defeat  of  General  St.  Clair,  320 — Washington  re-elected  President,  321— 
Citizen  Genet,  322 — Insurrection  in  Pennsylvania,  323 — Jay's  Treaty,  324 
—Pacific  Policy  of  Washington,  325 — Proceedings  of  the  French  Di- 
rectory, 326 — Washington's  Retirement,  327 — His  Character,  328. 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

ADMIlflSTBATION  OF  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Relations  with  France,  p.  330 — Intrigues  of  Talle)nrand,  830 — Prepa- 
rations for  War  with  France,  331 — Death  of  Washington,  332 — Election  of 
Jefferson,  334. 

CHAPTER  XXXV 

Jefferson's  administration. 

Effects  of  Peace  in  Europe,  p.  336— Acquisition  of  Louisiana,  337 — Wti 
with  TripoK,  338 — Burr's  Conspiracy,  340 — Depredations  on  Americao 
Commerce,  341 — Affair  of  the  Chesapeake,  342 — Berlin  and  Milan  Decreea. 
343— Embargo,  344 — Retirement  of  Jefferson,  344. 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

commencement  0?  Madison's  administration. 

Character  of  Madison,  p.  345 — Repeal  of  the  Embargo  Law,  346 — Mil- 
iions  of  Erskine  and  Jackson,  346 — Affair  of  the  Little  Belt,  348 — Indian 
War — Battle  of  Tippecanoe,  349 — Henry's  Mission,  349— War  declaredi 
S50— Effects  of  the  Declaration  of  War,  350. 

CHAPTER  XXXVIL 

campai&n  of  1812. 

Military  Force  of  the  Country,  p.  352— The  Navy,  352— General  Hiili*i 
Expedition,  353 — Governor  Brock's  Proclamation,  354 — Surrender  of  €r«- 
oeral  Hull,  355— General  Smyth's  Operations,  357 — Naval  Victories,  KB, 


8 


OOHTSIITt* 


CHAPTER  XXXVIIL 

OAMPAiGN  or  1813. 

Opeiations  on  the  North  Western  Frontier,  p.  361 — Siege  of  Fort  Metgh, 
362 — Capture  of  York,  363 — Attack  on  Sacketrs  Harbour,  364— Operationi 
on  the  Niagara  Frontier,  365— Expedition  against  Montreal,  366 — Battle  of 
Chrystler's  Fields,  366 — British  Ravages  on  the  Sea-coast,  367 — Sackiiic 
of  Hampton,  368 — Affair  of  the  hornet  and  Peacock,  369— Defence  ot 
Fort  Sandusky,  371 — Battle  on  Lake  Erie,  372 — Battle  of  the  Thames,  378 
-Creek  War,  374. 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

CAMPAIGN  OF  1814. 

Russian  Offer  of  Mediation,  p.  376 — Battle  of  Chippewa,  377 — Siege  of 
Fort  Erie,  378 — New  York  invaded,  379 — Battle  on  Lake  Champlain,  379 
— Flight  of  General  Prevost,  380 — Arrival  of  the  British  in  the  Chesapeake. 
383 — Capture  of  Washington  City,  383 — Maryland  invaded,  384 — Battle  of 
Baltimore,  385 — Cctinecticut  and  Maine  invaded,  386 — Hartford  Conven- 
tion, 387 — The  British  expelled  from  Florida,  388 — Attack  on  New  Orleans, 
890 — Defeated,  392— Peace  of  Ghent,  393 — United  States  Bank  Chartered, 
894. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

▲DMIiriBTRATIOir  OV  JAMES  MOITBOS. 

Relations  with  Florida  and  Spain,  p.  394 — Amelia  Island  taken,  394— 
Seminole  War,  395 — Acquisition  of  Florida,  395— Admission  of  Missonil 
into  the  Union,  396 — La  Fayette's  Visit — Vote  of  Congress  respecting  hii 
Services,  396. 

CHAPTER  XLL 

ADMIiriSTRATIOW  OF  JOHBT   aTOTCT  ADAMS. 

Inaugural  Address,  397 — La  Fayette  at  Bunker's  Hill,  398 — Indian  Trea- 
ties, 39fr— Treaty  with  Denmark,  399 — Death  of  Jefferson  and  Adams,  399 
—The  Tariff,  399 

CHAPTER  XLII. 

ABMIiri STRATI Oir  OP  AISDRBW  JACKSOIT. 

Commercial  Treaty  with  Great  Britain,  400 — Indian  War,  401 — Tariff; 
402 — Nullification,  402 — Compromise  Bill,  403 — Bank  Question,  403 — 
French  War  threatened,  404 — Florida  War,  404 — Public  Debt  extinguished, 
404. 


CHAPTER  XLin. 


ADMINISTRATION  OP  MAETIN  VAN  BTJREN. 

Great  financial  distress,  p.  406— The  Sub-treasury,  407— The  Florida  War,  408 
—Troubles  in  Canada,  409. 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 


ADMINISTRATIONS  OF  HARRISON  AND  TYLER. 

Death  of  Harrison,  p.  410— Tyler  disagrees  with  Congress— The  Caroline  Affair, 
411— The  Ashburton  and  Chinese  Treaties,  412— Annexation  of  Texas,  412. 


CONTEOTS. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

ADMINISTRATION  OP  JAMES  K.  POLK. 

The  Mexican  War,  p.  414— Battles  of  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de  la  Palma,  415— 
Matamoras  taken,  417— Capture  of  Monterey  by  Taylor,  419— Battle  of  Buena 
Vista,  421— Scott  takes  Vera  Cruz,  425— Battle  of  Cerro  Gordo,  426— Battle  of 
Contreras,  428— Battles  of  Churubusco,  Molino  del  Rey,  and  Chapultepec,  429— 
Capture  of  Mexico,  432— Treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo  and  Cession  of  California 
and  New  Mexico,  435. 

CHAPTER  XLVI. 

ADMINISTRATION  OF  ZACHART  TAYLOR. 

Admission  of  California,  p.  437— Lopez  Expedition  to  Cuba,  437. 


CHAPTER  XLVn. 

ADMINISTRATION  OP  MILLARD  PILLMORB. 

Lopez  renews  his  Attempts,  p.  438— Death  of  Henry  Clay,  439. 


CHAPTER  XLVm.  i 

ADMINISTRATION  OP  FRANKLIN  PIERCE. 

The  Koszta  AJQEair,  p.  440— The  Japan  Expedition,  441— The  Clayton-Bulwer 
T^atv.  442. 

CHAPTER  XLIX. 

THE  KANSAS  DIFFICULTY.  ' 

•aoubles  as  to  the  question  of  Slavery  in  the  Territories,  p.  443— Pierce's  Proc- 
kmation,  446— Bill  for  admission  of  Kansas,  447. 


CHAPTER  L. 

ADMINISTRATION  OP  FRANKLIN  PIERCE  (COncludcd). 

Indian  War  in  Oregon  and  California,  p.  449— Vigilance  Committee  in  CalJ» 
fomia,  450. 

CHAPTER  LT. 

ADMINISTRATION  OP  JAMES  BUCHANAN. 

Kane's  Arctic  Expedition,  p.  452— Walker's  career  in  Central  America,  452— 
Election  of  Abraham  Lincoln— Secession  of  South  Carolina  and  other  States,  453. 


CHAPTER  LH. 

ADMINISTRATION  OP  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

Attack  on  Fort  Sumter,  p.  454— President  Lincoln  calls  for  troops,  454— First 
battles  of  the  war,  455— Defeat  at  Bull  Run,  455 -The  Trent  Affair,  455— Naval 
operations  against  the  South,  456— Issue  of  Paper  Money,  456— Capture  of  Fort 
Henry  and  Fort  Donelson,  457— Battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  457— The  Monitor 
and  Merrimac,  458— McClellan's  Peninsula  Campaign,  459 -Defeat  of  Pope,  459 
—Battle  of  Antietam,  459— Burnside,  459— Brag<j:'s  Campaign  and  Defeat,  460— 
Emancipation  Proclamatit)n  ,461— Battle  of  Chanceiiorsville, 461- Battle  of  Gettys- 
burg,  462— Grant  defeats  Johnston  and  takes  Vicksburg,  462— Battle  of  Chica- 
mauga,  463— Grant  drives  Lee  back  to  Richmond,  464— Operations  against 
Petersburg,  465— The  Privateers,  465— Capture  of  Mobile,  465— Sherman's  Cap- 
tnre  of  Atlanta  and  March  to  the  Sea,  467— Battle  of  Bentonville,  468— ^Richmond 
t*ken,  468— Lee  Surrenders,  469— Assassination  of  Lincoln,  469. 


10 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  Lin. 

ADMINISTRATION  OP  ANDREW  JOHNSON. 

Surrender  of  Johnston,  p.  470— Arrest  of  Jefferson  Davis,  470— The  Restoration 
of  the  Seceding  IStates,  470— The  President  and  Congress  differ,  471— Trial  of 
President  Johnson,  472— Fenian  troubles,  472. 

CHAPTER  LIV. 

ADMINISTRATION  OP  ULYSSES  S.  GRANT. 

Settlement  of  the  Alabama  Claims,  p.  473— The  Pacific  Railroads,  473— The 
Chicago  Fire,  473— The  Modoc  War,  474— The  Virginias  Affair,  474— The  Louis- 
iana troubles,  475— Defeat  of  General  Custer,  475. 

CHAPTER  LV. 

ADMINISTRATION  OP  RUTHERFORD  B.  HAYES. 

The  South  Pacified,  p.  476— The  Railroad  Strikes,  476— Prevalence  of  Yellow- 
fever,  476— The  Chinese  Question,  476. 

CHAPTER  LVI. 

ADMINISTRATION  OP  JAMES  A.  GARFIELD. 

Shooting  of  Garfield,  p.  477— His  Death,  477— Chester  A.  Arthur  takes  Oath  of 
Office,  477. 

CHAPTER  LVII. 

ADMrNISTRATION  OF  GKOVER  CLEVELAND. 

Defeat  of  Blaine  and  Logan,  477 — "Independent"  Republicans  voting  for 
the  Democrrtic  Candidates,  477 — Cleveland's  Cabi»«t,  477. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTKATIONS. 


WasMngton  and  Lafayette  r\  Title-page. 

George  Washington  and  Martha  Washington  at  Time  of  Marriage.  12 

The  Last  Moments  of  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert   32 

Pocahontas  Saves  Captain  Smith's  Life  40 

Massacre  of  Settlers   53 

Pilgrim  Fathers  Round  a  Watchfire   78 

Williams  in  the  Forest   86 

Uncas  and  Miantonomoh  94 

Penn's  Treaty  with  the  Indians  138 

Visit  of  Oglethorpe  to  the  Highland  Colony  152 

Braddock's  Forces  Surprised  by  an  Ambuscade  162 

Bostonians  Reading  the  Stamp  Act  173 

Defence' of  Breed's  Hill.    Prescott  in  the  Redoubt  194 

The  Attack  on  Sullivan's  Island  209 

Washington  Crossing  the  Delaware  .224 

Clarke  and  his  Soldiers  Crossing  the  Wabash.  254 

Escape  of  Benedict  Arnold  *.  280 

Arnold  Viewing  the  Destruction  of  New  London  293 

The  Installation  of  Washington  312 

Washington  on  his  Deathbed  333 

Fight  between  the    Chesapeake  "  and  the  * -Shannon"  370 

Mob  Firing  Cannon  before  the  Courthouse  where  McLeod  was 

Imprisoned  412 

Battle  of  Buena  Vista  422 

Defence  of  Fort  Sumter  454 

The  San  Jacinto  Stopping  the  Trent  455 

Assassination  of  President  Lincoln  469 


THE 


A  HISTORY 

OF 

UNITED  STATES. 


CHAPTER  1. 

DISCOVERT  OF  AMERICA. 

Several  of  the  European  nations  have  laid  claim  to  the 
discovery  of  America,  prior  to  the  expedition  of  Columbus. 
The  Welsh  historians  affirm  that  Madoc,  a  prince  of  their 
country,  embarked  from  his  native  land  as  early  as  1170 
and,  sailing  westward,  discovered  those  regions  to  which 
the  name  of  America  was  afterwards  given.  But  this  claim 
rests  upon  remote  and  unfounded  traditions,  and  is,  there- 
fore, entitled  to  no  credit. 

Similar  pretensions  are  urged  in  favour  of  the  Norwegians 
and  Icelanders ;  but  a  careful  examination  of  all  the  authori- 
ties on  the  subject  has  led  recent  historians  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  discoveries  of  these  nations  extended  no  farther  than 
Greenland ;  to  the  more  southern  portion  of  which  territory 
they  gave  the  name  of  Vinland. 

To  Christopher  Columbus,  therefore,  belongs  the  glory 
of  having  made  the  first  discovery  of  the  western  world. 
At  a  time  when  geographical  science  had  long  slept  in  Eu- 
rope, when  distant  voyages  were  rare,  and  discoverers  were 
few,  timid,  and  ignorant,  this  extraordinary  man  formed  the 
noble  design  of  crossing  the  Atlantic  Ocean  in  search  of  new 
regions  His  opinion,  that  such  an  enterprise  would  be 
attended  with  success,  was  not  unsupported  by  plausible 
facts  and  reasonings.  Though,  in  the  fifteenth  century,  the 
mformation  of  geographers  was  incorrect  as  well  as  scanty 
certain  observations  had  been  recorded  which  supported 

Who  have  laid  claim  to  the  discovery  |  Are  these  claims  well  founded  i 
a£  Ameriea  f  Who  was  the  discoverer  ? 

i  18 


14 


THE  rORTUOUESE  DISCOVERIES. 


his  theory  From  the  form  of  the  earth's  shadow  of  the 
moon  in  an  eclipse  it  had  been  inferred  that  its  shape  wa« 
globular:  and  tolerably  accurate  ideas  had  been  conceived 
of  its  magnitude.  It  was,  therefor*;,  apparent  that  Europe, 
Asia,  and  Africa  could  occupy  but  a  small  portion  of  its 
surface,  and  it  saemed  highly  improbable  that  the  remain- 
ing portion  was  one  vast  ocean.  Travellers  in  the  east  had 
reported  that  Asia  extended  very  far  in  that  direction,  and 
the  rotundity  of  the  earth  being  known,  it  was  inferred  t).at 
the  East  Indies  might  be  reached  by  holding  a  course 
directly  west  from  Europe. 

These  reasonings  were  not  unsupported  by  striking  facts 
Pieces  of  wood,  nicely  carved,  and  apparently  borne  from  a 
far  country,  had  been  thrown  on  the  western  coast  of  the 
Madeiras.  A  tree  of  an  unknown  species  had  been  taken 
out  of  the  ocean  near  the  Azores ;  and  the  bodies  of  two 
men,  of  strange  colour  and  unusual  appearance,  had  been 
found  upon  the  coast. 

From  these  circumstances  Columbus  inferred  the  exist- 
ence of  the  regions  which  he  afterwards  discovered,  and  the 
possibility  of  reaching  them  by  sailing  to  the  west. 

At  this  period  the  favourite  object  of  discovery  was  a 
passage  to  the  East  Indies  by  sea.  The  Venetians  had,  by 
their  advantageous  position,  and  their  great  commercial  ac 
tivity,  hitherto  engrossed  the  profitable  trade  of  that  coun- 
try ;  and  thus  excited  the  envy  and  jealousy  of  the  other 
nations  of  Europe.  Their  communication  with  the  East 
Indies  was  principally  over  land.  Others  were  attempting 
a  passage  by  sea.  From  the  commencement  of  the  fif- 
teenth century,  the  Portuguese  had  been  extending  their 
discoveries  along  the  western  coast  of  Africa  towards  the 
south,  and  had  nearly  doubled  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
They  were  destined  soon  to  attain  this  grand  object,  and 
establish  a  lucrative  trade  in  the  rare  productions  of  the 
East. 

To  find  a  shorter  and  more  direct  route  to  India  was  the 
immediate  object  of  Columbus  in  proposing  to  undertake  « 
voyage  of  discovery.  The  rich  returns  of  oriental  com- 
merce formed  the  chief  inducement  which  he  urged  upon 
those  sovereigns,  to  whom  he  submitted  his  project,  with  a 
view  to  gain  their  support  and  patronage. 


What  led  him  to  the  undertaking  ^ 
What  facts  supported  his  opinions  ? 
What  was  the  grand  object  of  disco- 
very in  CoJumbup'i  i'vpef 


What  is  said  of  the  Venetians  f 

The  Portuguese  ? 

What  was  Columbun's  immediata  ob- 
ject? 


COLUMBUS  IN  SPAIN 


16 


He  first  applied  to  the  government  of  Genoa,  his  n?itive 
country  ;  but  here  his  offer  was  rejected,  probably  in  conse- 
quence of  the  decline  of  commercial  enterprise  among  the 
Genoese.  He  then  made  application  to  King  John  H,  of 
Portugal,  a  monarch  who  had  liberally  encouraged  voyages 
of  discovery.  Here  he  met  with  no  better  success ;  for  the 
king,  having  referred  the  matter  to  his  counsellors,  was  by 
them  discouraged  from  lending  his  support  to  a  project  which 
they  represented  as  extravagant  and  risionaiy.  This  wise 
opinion  did  not,  however,  prevent  the  Portuguese  govern- 
ment from  secretly  fitting  out  an  expedition,  which  was 
intended  to  deprive  Columbus  of  the  glory  of  his  discovery- 
The  return  of  this  expedition,  without  success,  having  ap- 
prized Columbus  of  the  treachery  designed  against  him,  he 
left  the  country  in  disgust.  It  was  about  this  period  that 
he  despatched  his  brother,  Bartholomew  Columbus,  to  Eng- 
land, for  the  purpose  of  gaining  the  patronage  of  Henry 
VH  in  support  of  his  project.  The  voyage,  however,  was 
attended  with  so  much  delay,  that  that  sovereign  was  not 
enabled  to  complete  his  arrangements,  and  make  known  his 
favourable  disposition  to  Christopher  Columbus,  until  the 
discovery  had  actually  been  effected. 

Disappointed  in  his  applications  to  other  courts,  Colum- 
bus, in  1486,  applied  to  that  of  Spain.  The  sovereigns  of 
this  country,  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  were  at  that  time  en 
gaged  in  expelling  the  Moors  from  Granada,  their  last  strong- 
hold on  the  peninsula;  and  it  was  not  until  the  war  was 
terminated  that  Columbus  was  enabled  to  obtain  a  favoura- 
ble hearing.  He  had  been  for  upwards  of  six  years  urging 
his  suit  without  success,  and  was  about  quitting  the  country 
for  England,  when,  by  order  of  Isabella,  he  was  desired  to 
relinquish  his  intention  of  applying-  to  other  courts,  and 
invited  into  her  presence,  with  distinguished  marks  of  con- 
descension and  respect. 

*  The  character  and  disposition  of  Columbus,'  observes  a 
recent  writer,*  *  were  such  as  highly  recommended  him  to 
the  rulers  of  Spaia.  To  that  quickness  and  decision  which 
are  the  usual  indications  of  genius,  he  added  that  solemnity 


To  whom  did  he  first  applj  ? 
With  wtfiSt  success  ? 
To  whom  next  ? 

Of  what  treachery  were  the  Portu- 
guese guilty  ? 
W^ho  was  sea :  to  England  t 


What  was  his  success  ? 
To  whom  did  Columbus  next  apply? 
What  was  the  result  ? 
What  were  Columbus's  character  are 
deportment  ? 


*  In  the  Edinburgh  Encyclopedia. 


16 


COLUMBUS  IN  SPAIN. 


of  aspect,  and  gravity  of  manners,  which  the  Spanish  nil 
tivate  with  so  much  care,  and  which  serve  to  distinguish 
them  from  the  other  nations  of  Europe.  His  appearance 
was  dignified,  and  his  behaviour  respectful ;  he  was  reso- 
lute in  his  purposes,  and  firm  in  his  demands.' 

At  his  interview  with  Isabella,  he  relaxed  in  nothing  of 
what  he  had  originally  proposed :  the  conditions  on  which 
he  declared  himself  willing  to  undertake  the  expedition 
were  still  the  same  : — *  that  he  should  be  appointed  admiral 
of  all  the  seas  which  he  might  explore,  and  governor  of  all 
Ihe  continents  and  islands  which  he  might  visit ;  that  these 
offices  should  be  hereditary  in  his  family ;  and  that  the  tenth 
of  every  thing  bought,  bartered,  found,  or  got,  within  the 
bounds  of  his  admiralship,  abating  only  the  charge  of  the 
conquest,  should  be  settled  upon  him,  and  should  descend 
to  his  heirs  in  case  of  his  death.' 

He  desired  that  a  small  fleet  should  be  equipped,  and  put 
under  his  command,  for  the  proposed  discovery ;  and,  to 
show  hip  own  confidence  in  the  undertaking,  he  offered  to 
advance  an  eighth  part  of  the  money  which  would  be  neces- 
sary for  building  the  ships,  provided  he  should  be  allowed 
a  proportionate  share  of  the  profits  resulting  from  the  enter- 
prise, 

Juan  Perez,  guardian  of  the  monastery  of  La  Rabida, 
near  the  town  of  Palos,  one  of  the  earliest  friends  of  Co- 
lumbus in  Spain,  had  obtained  for  him  the  honour  of  an 
Interview  with  Isabella.  Perez  was  the  queen's  confessor, 
and  an  ecclesiastic  of  great  influence  and  respectability 
♦  By  his  representations,  together  with  those  of  Alonzo  de 
Quintanilla  and  Luis  de  St.  Angel,  oflicers  of  distinction 
under  the  Spanish  crown,  a  favourable  hearing  was  granted 
lo  the  propositions  of  Columbus.  They  stated  to  the  queen 
that  he  was  a  man  of  commanding  talents  and  high  integrity, 
well  informed  in  geography,  and  skilled  in  navigation; 
they  spoke  to  her  of  the  glory  which  would  result  from  the 
•nterprise,  and  which  would  for  ever  attach  to  her  reign; 
and  of  the  extension  of  the  Christian  religion,  which  would 
be  disseminated  in  the  countries  to  be  discovered. 

These  representations  of  Quintanilla  and  St.  Angel,  and 
the  favourable  state  of  the  kingdom,  just  freed  from  the  last 
remnslnt  of  the  Moorish  invaders,  afforded  prevailing  motives 
with  the  queen  for  engaging  Columbus  in  her  service  on  his 
own  terms.    A  fleet  was  ordered  to  be  fitted  out  from  tbf 

What  terms  di«l  he  oifer  to  the  queen  ?  I  What  was  their  ^nccesi  ^ 
^^ho  wt:r0  hji  friends  at  court  /        |  Petcribe  Columbui't  outfit 


COLtJMfiUS's  OtJtFlt. 


11 


pofi  of  Palos.  It  consisted  of  three  vessels  of  .nconsiderable 
iize,  such  as  would  by  no  means  be  deemed  suitable  for  a 
<royage  across  the  Atlantic  at  the  present  day.  They  were 
victualled  for  twelve  months,  and  had  on  board  ninety  mari- 
ners, with  several  piivate  adventurers  and  servants  ;  amount- 
ing in  all  to  one  hundred  and  twenty  persons.  The  whole 
expense  of  the  expedition  was  but  about  twenty  thousand  dol« 
lars.  But  even  this  was  considered  by  the  statesmen  of  the 
time  too  great  an  expenditure  for  so  uncertain  an  enterprise. 

When  the  squadron  was  ready  for  sailing,  Columbun, 
with  his  officers  and  crew,  went  in  solemn  procession  to  the 
monastery  of  La  Rabida,  and  after  confessing  their  sins  and 
partaking  of  the  communion,  they  committed  themselves  to 
the  protection  of  Heaven,  and  took  leave  of  their  friends* 
whom  they  left  full  of  gloomy  apprehensions  with  respect 
tc  their  perilous  undertaking. 

It  was  on  the  morning  of  the  3d  of  August,  1492,  that 
Columbus  set  sail  from  the  harbour  of  Palos,  in  the  Santa 
Maria,  the  largest  vessel  of  his  squadron.  The  others  were 
called  the  Pinta  and  the  Nina :  the  former  commanded  by 
Martin  Alonzo  Pinzon,  and  the  latter  by  Vincent  Yanez  Pin- 
zon,  his  brother.  On  the  6th  of  August  they  came  in  sight 
of  the  Canaries.  Among  these  islands  they  were  detained 
more  than  three  weeks,  endeavouring  to  procure  another 
vessel  to  supply  the  place  of  the  Pinta,  which  had  suffered 
some  injury  in  her  rudder.  The  Pinta  was  finally  repaired, 
and  on  the  6th  of  September,  Columbus  set  sail  from  Go- 
mera,  one  of  the  Canaries,  and  began  his  voyage  on  the 
unknown  deep. 

On  the  13th  of  September,  the  squadron  was  distant  nearly 
800  leagues  from  the  most  westerly  of  the  Canaries.  Here 
the  magnetic  needle  was  observed  to  vary  from  its  direction 
towards  the  polar  star,  a  phenomenon  which  had  not  before 
been  observed ;  and  which,  of  course,  filled  the  mariners 
with  alarm,  since  it  appeared  to  withdraw  from  them  their 
only  guide  upon  the  pathless  ocean.  Columbus  was  by  no 
means  disheartened  by  this  appearance.  He  invented  a 
plausible  reason  for  it;  and  succeeded  in  reconciling  his 
crew  to  their  further  progress.  Their  discontent,  however, 
speedily  broke  forth  anew,  and  all  the  self-possession  an  ] 


How  did  Columbus  prepare  for  em- 

Darking  ? 
Wliere  was  he  detained  ? 
WheiB  was  he  on  the  13th  of  Septem- 


What  alarmed  the  crew  f 

How  were  they  reconciled  to 

fui-ther  progress  f 
What  followed  f 


18 


COLUMBtS  At  SAH  SALVADOR 


address  of  the  admiral  were  scarcely  sufficient  to  preaem 
his  ascendency  and  ensure  the  completion  of  his  voyage. 

When  their  patience  was  nearly  exhausted,  the  signs  of 
land  began  to  appear.  The  water  had  become  more  shallow ; 
flocks  of  strange  birds  were  observed ;  a  curiously  wrought 
staff  was  taken  up  by  the  men  of  the  Pinta  ;  and  weeds  were 
seen  floating  in  the  water,  of  a  kind  different  from  any  which 
were  known  to  the  voyagers.  During  the  night  of  the  11th 
of  October,  a  light  was  observed  by  Columbus  himself,  at  a 
distance,  moving  as  if  carried  by  some  fisherman  or  traveller 

This  last  appearance  was  considered  by  him  as  decisive 
evidence  of  land ;  and,  moreover,  that  the  land  was  inha 
bited.  They  continued  their  course  till  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  when  a  gun  from  the  Pinta  gave  the  signal  that 
land  was  in  sight.  It  proved  to  be  one  of  the  Bahama 
islands. 

On  the  morning  of  the  12th  of  October,  Columbus,  richly 
attired  in  scarlet,  and  bearing  the  royal  standard,  entered  his 
own  boat,  accompanied  by  the  other  commanders  in  theii 
boats,  and  landing  on  the  island  took  possession  of  it  on 
behalf  of  the  Castilian  sovereigns,  giving  it  the  name  of  San 
Salvador. 

The  landing  was  accompanied  with  every  demonstration 
of  joy  and  gratitude  to  Heaven.  The  admiral  and  his  fol- 
lowers knelt  on  the  shore,  and  kissed  the  ground,  with 
tears  and  thanksgiving.  The  natives,  who  had  assembled 
in  great  numbers  on  the  first  appearance  of  the  ships,  were 
struck  speechless  with  astonishment.  They  stood  arcamd 
the  Spaniards,  unable  to  comprehend  the  import  of  those 
ceremonies  with  which  the  newly  discovered  land  was 
claimed  by  these  formidable  visiters.  They  considered 
them  as  beings  of  a  superior  order,  children  of  the  sun,  de 
Hcended  from  heaven  to  dwell  among  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth;  little  imagining  that  they  were  speedily  to  extermi- 
nate the  peaceful  nations  who  then  possessed  the  western 
Archipelago. 

The  island  was  called,  by  the  inhabitants,  Guanahani. 
It  is  one  of  the  Bahama  group,  and  is  distant  about  3000 
miles  from  the  most  westerly  of  the  Canaries.  Columbus 
tfteri¥ards  discovered  and  touched  at  other  islands,  in  the 


What  signs  of  land  appeared  ? 
Who  first  saw  the  light  ? 
When  ? 

When  did  Columbus  land  in  the  New 
World  ? 


What  is  said  of  the  nativei  ? 
What  was  the  island  called  f 
Where  is  it  ? 

What  other  discoveries  did  Columbiv 
make  on  his  first  voyage  f 


same  group,  and  also  added  the  extensive  islands  Cuba 
and  Hispaniola  to  the  possessions  of  the  Spanish  sove- 
reigns, before  completing  his  first  voyage.  All  these  newly 
discovered  lands  he  supposed,  conformably  to  the  theory 
which  he  had  adopted,  to  be  at  no  great  distance  from  In- 
dia ;  and  as  they  had  been  reached  by  a  western  passage, 
they  were  called  the  West  Indies.  Even  when  the  in- 
crease of  geographical  science  had  discovered  the  error,  the 
name  was  retained,  and  it  is  continued  to  the  present  day. 

While  cruising  amid  the  West  India  islands,  hoping  to 
discover  some  spot  which  was  known,  one  of  his  vessels,  the 
Santa  Maria,  stranded,  and  all  efFoi  ts  to  get  her  afloat  failed. 
His  flagship  thus  became  a  wreck,  and  it  became  necessary 
to  leave  some  of  his  men  in  the  New  World.  Finding  a  chief 
on  the  island  of  Hayti  to  be  very  friendly,  he  built  a  little 
fort  there,  and  placing  in  it  forty-two  of  his  men,  he  set  sail 
for  Spain  on  the  Nina,  the  Pinzons  on  the  Pinta.  The  little 
vessels  encountered  terrible  storms,  but  at  last  the  Nina,  on  the 
4th  of  March,  1493,  entered  the  Tagus.  It  then  soon  reached 
the  Port  of  Palos,  from  which  they  had  sailed,  where  they 
were  welcomed  with  unbounded  joy.  Amid  the  general  exul- 
tation, the  Pinta  hove  in  sight,  and  completed  his  happiness. 

Columbus's  return  to  Spain  was  hailed  with  acclamations 
of  joy.  His  journey  from  Palos  to  Barcelona,  where  he 
was  to  meet  the  sovereigns,  was  a  perfect  triumph,  and  his 
reception  by  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  was  attended  with 
marks  of  favour  and  condescension  proportioned  to  the 
magnitude  and  importance  of  his  services. 

Columbus  afterwards  undertook  several  voyages  to  the 
New  World,  planted  colonies,  and  built  cities  and  forts. 
In  his  third  voyage,  he  visited  the  continent  of  America, 
landed  at  different  places  on  the  coasts  of  Paria  and  Cumana. 
But  his  discovery  of  the  continent  had  been  anticipated  by 
an  English  voyager,  Cabot,  as  will  hereafter  be  related. 

\merigo  Vespucci,  a  Florentine  gentleman,  who  had 
sailed  with  Columbus,  visited  the  continent  some  years 
afterwards ;  and  published  an  account  of  his  expedition,  so 
plausibly  written  as  to  lead  his  contemporaries  to  the  sup- 
position that  he  was  the  real  discoverer.  The  continent,  in 
consequence,  received  the  appellation  of  America;  at  what 


What  is  the  origin  of  the  name  West 
Indies  ? 

How   was  Columbus   received  in 
Spain? 


What  was  done  by  Columbus  in  the 

subsequent  voyages  ? 
Who  firsc  discovered  the  coniinent  of 

America  ? 
What  is  said  of  Vespuce i  f 


20  NORTH  AMERICA  DtSCOVKRED  AND  SETTLED. 

period  is  not  well  ascertained.  Although  we  cannot  but 
regret  the  injustice  of  this  proceeding,  which  deprives  Co- 
lumbus of  an  honour  so  nobly  earned,  yet  the  consent  of 
all  nations  has  given  tlie  name  a  sanction,  which  it  were 
vain  to  dispute  or  disregard. 

It  was  the  lot  of  Columbus  to  receive  injustice  and  neg 
lect  in  return  for  the  greatest  benefits.  He  was  deprived 
of  the  rewards  and  honours  promised  him  by  Ferdinand 
and  Isabella,  superseded  in  the  government  of  the  colony 
which  he  had  founded,  and  sent  home  in  chains  from  the 
New  World  which  he  had  '  found  for  Castile  and  Leon 
and,  after  having  attracted  the  admiration  and  applause  of 
the  whole  civilized  world  by  the  brilliancy  of  his  achieve- 
ments, he  was  suffered  to  die  in  comparative  poverty  and 
neglect. 


CHAPTER  n 

NORTH  AMERICA  DISCOVERED  AND  SETTLED. 


Although  Columbus  discovered  the  New  World,  he  was 
not  the  first  navigator  who  reached  the  American  continent. 
This  was  the  achievement  of  John  Cabot  and  his  son  Se- 
bastian ;  who  conducted  an  expedition  of  five  ships,  undei 
a  commission  from  Henry  VII,  of  England,  to  search  for 
unknown  islands  and  countries,  and  take  possession  of  them 
in  the  king's  name.  The  expedition  was  fitted  out  from 
Bristol,  in  England,  and  reached  the  American  continent, 
probably  in  56  degrees  of  north  latitude,  on  the  coast  of 
Labrador,  June  14th,  1497,  nearly  fourteen  months  before 
Columbus,  on  his  third  voyage,  came  in  sight  of  the  main  land. 

If  the  right  of  discovery  be  valid,  a  point  which  it  is 
hardly  worth  while  to  discuss  here,  England  had  certainly 
the  best  right  of  any  of  the  nations  of  Europe  to  plant 
colonies  in  North  America.  Her  claim,  however,  was 
warmly  disputed  by  Spain,  Portugal  and  France. 

The  Cabots  made  another  voyage  to  North  America  in 
1498,  and  explored  the  coast  as  far  south  as  Maryland; 


How  was  Columbus  treated  by  the 
sovereigns  of  Spain  ? 

WTiat  is  said  of  the  CabotJ  ? 

When  did  they  discover  the  conti- 
nent of  America  f 


What  nations  disputed  the  clajn  of 
England  to  the  discovery  of  North 
America  ? 

What  was  doM  by  the  Ctbots  in 


tHE  iHtlNCH  m  NORTH  AMERICA^ 


21 


jaid  Sebastian  Cabot,  who,  on  account  of  his  nautical  skill 
and  enterprise,  was  called  the  Great  Seaman,  sailed,  in 
1517,  up  the  straits  and  bay  which  afterwards  received  the 
name  of  Hudson,  until  he  reached  the  latitude  of  sixty-seven 
and  a  half  degrees,  expecting  to  find  a  north-west  passage  to 
India.    A  mutiny  of  his  crew  compelled  him  to  return. 

The  Portuguese,  who  at  this  period  were  very  active  in 
prosecuting  distant  voyages  of  discovery,  fitted  out  an  ex- 
pedition under  Gaspar  Cortereal.  He  explored  the  coast 
for  600  miles,  as  far  to  the  north  as  the  50th  degree,  and 
brought  off  upwards  of  50  Indians,  whom  he  sold  as  slavei 
on  his  return.  (1501.) 

The  Spaniards,  too,  endeavoured  to  explore  the  northern 
coasts,  in  hopes  of  finding  a  short  passage  by  water  to  the 
rich  spice  lands  of  the  East  Indies.  After  a  solemn  consul- 
tation of  the  most  experienced  Spanish  and  Portuguese  pilots 
at  Badajos,  Stephen  Gomez,  an  experienced  navigator,  who 
had  sailed  with  Magellan,  was  dispatched  by  the  Emperor 
Charles  V.,  in  1524,  to  find  a  short  route  to  the  Moluccas 
or  Spice  Islands.  He  ran  along  the  coast  of  what  are  now 
the  Eastern  and  Middle  States,  but  failing  to  find  any  passage 
or  any  country  with  rich  products,  he  sailed  back  to  Spain, 
where  he  was  censured  by  the  emperor  for  having  carried 
oflTsome  Indians  from  our  coast.  His  examination  of  the 
seaboard  was  careful  and  accurate,  as  may  be  seen  by  Ribera's 
map. 

The  French  were  among  the  early  voyagers  to  North 
America.  The  banks  of  Newfoundland  were  visited  by 
their  fishermen  as  early  as  1504,  and  in  1523  John  Verra- 
zani,  a  Florentine,  was  sent  on  a  voyage  of  discovery  by 
Francis  I.  He  explored  the  American  coast  from  North 
Carolina  to  Nova  Scotia,  and  held  friendly  intercourse  with 
the  natives.  The  French  claims  to  their  American  territo- 
ries were  founded  upon  his  discoveries. 

Another  expedition,  under  James  Cartier,  was  fitted  out 
in  1534,  and  the  gulf  and  river  of  St.  Lawrence  were  ?isited» 
many  of  the  harbours  and  islands  explored,  and  the  country 
declared  a  French  territory.  The  next  year,  Cartier  sailed 
up  the  St.  Lawrence  again,  and  discovered  and  named  the 
island  of  Montreal.  He  passed  the  winter  in  Canada,  and  in 
the  spring  erected  a  cross  with  a  shield  upon  it,  bearing  the 
trms  of  France,  and  an  inscription  declaring  Frmcis  I  to  be 


By  Sebastian  in  1617  ?  I  By  the  French  ? 

What  was  dona  bj  the  Portugese  ?  I  When  / 


22 


THE  FRENCH  IN  ACADIA  AND  CANADA. 


the  sovereign  of  the  territory ;  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of 
New  France. 

In  1540,  Francis  de  la  Roque,  Lord  of  Roberval,  obtained 
from  Francis  I  a  commission  to  plant  a  colony  in  America, 
giving  him  a  viceroy's  authority  over  the  territories  and  islands 
on  the  gulf  and  river  St.  Lawrence.  Cartier  was,  at  the  same 
time,  commissioned  as  captain  general  and  chief  pilot  of  the 
expedition,  with  authority  to  raise  recruits  for  the  colony  from 
the  prisons  of  France,  a  circumstance  by  no  means  favourable 
to  the  permanence  of  the  proposed  settlement.  These  lead- 
ers were  rather  too  independent  of  each  other.  They  did 
not  even  depart  from  Europe  in  company.  Cartier  left  France 
in  May,  1541,  sailed  up  the  St.  Lawrence,  built  a  fort  near 
where  Quebec  was  subsequently  founded,  passed  the  wintci 
there  and  returned  in  June,  1542.  About  the  time  of  his 
return,  Roberval,  with  a  colony,  arrived  in  Canada,  or  No- 
rimbega,  as  it  was  then  sometimes  termed,  remained  till  the 
next  year,  and  then  abandoned  his  vice-royalty  and  returned 
home.  He  afterward  sailed  again  for  Canada,  but  is  sup- 
posed to  have  perished  on  the  sea. 

The  civil  wars  of  France  prevented  any  further  attempts 
at  colonization  in  America  till  1598,  when  the  Marquis  de 
la  Roche,  a  nobleman  of  Brittany,  formed  a  temporary  set- 
tlement on  the  isle  of  Sable.  His  colony  had  been  peopled 
by  sweeping  the  prisons  of  France ;  and  it  wa*  of  very  short 
duration. 

In  1603,  an  expedition  was  fitted  out  by  9  company  of 
merchants  of  Rouen,  and  placed  under  the  f».ommand  of 
Samuel  Champlain,  an  able  and  enterprising  officer,  who 
'  became  the  father  of  the  French  settlements  in  Canada.'* 
On  his  first  expedition,  he  made  considerable  ^[eographical 
researches,  observed  carefully  the  nature  of  the  climate  and 
soil,  and  the  character  of  the  natives  ;  and  selected  the  posi- 
tion of  the  future  capital  of  the  province. 

After  he  returned  to  France,  a  charter  was  granted  to  De 
Monts  to  settle  Acadia,  under  which  name  was  included  all 
the  country  from  the  40th  to  the  46th  degree  of  north  latitude. 
His  expedition  left  France  in  1604  in  two  ships  ;  and,  aftei 
their  arrival  in  Nova  Scotia,  Poutrincourt,  one  of  the  leaders 
who  accompan'ed  De  Monts,  made  choice  of  the  spot  where 


Dcf  /fibe  Roberval  and  Cartier's  ex-    His  first  expedition  f 

peditions.    De  la  Roche's.  De  M>nts  ? 

I^hat  is  said  of  Champlain  ?  What  was  included  in  Aci»lia  f 

•  Bancroft 


THE   SPANIARDS   IN  FLORIDA. 


23 


Annapolis  now  siande  as  the  site  of  a  settlement,  to  which  he 
gave  the  name  of  Port  Royal.  De  Monts  settled  on  the  island 
of  St.  Croix,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  of  the  same  name, 
but  afterward  abandoned  this  situation  and  removed  to  Port 
Royal,  which  was  the  first  permanent  French  settlement 
made  in  North  America,  (1605.)  Three  years  afterwards 
(1608)  Champlain,  acting  in  the  service  of  a  private  company 
of  merchants,  occupied  the  site  of  the  city  of  Quebec  by 
raising  some  cottages  and  clearing  a  few  acres  of  land.  He 
afterwards  took  a  part  in  the  Indian  wars,  sailed  up  the  river 
Sorel,  and  explored  the  lake  which  now  bears  his  name.  To 
his  enterprise  and  courage  the  French  were  indebted  for  their 
colonies  in  this  country.* 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  SPANIARDS  TAKE  POSSESSION  OF  FLORIDA. 

As  the  Spaniards  had  been  the  first  nation  to  attempt  the 
discovery  of  the  New  World,  so  they  were  the  most  enter- 
prising and  adventurous  in  their  endeavours  to  conquer  and 
colonize  its  extensive  and  fertile  countries.  The  history  ol 
their  warlike  achievements  in  Mexico  and  Peru  presents  ex- 
amples of  the  most  heroic  bravery  and  perseverance,  dark- 
ened by  many  shadows  of  avarice  and  injustice.  The  whole 
nation  seems  to  have  been  fired  with  the  spirit  of  foreign 
adventure,  and  the  New  World  was  the  grand  theatre  for  its 
display. 

Previous  to  the  expeditions  of  Cortes  and  Pizarro,  Florida 
had  been  discovered  by  Juan  Ponce  de  Leon.  This  adven- 
turer had  accompanied  Columbus  in  his  second  voyage  ;  and 
afterwards  had  been  successively  appointed  governor  of  the 
eastern  province  of  Hispaniola,  and  of  Porto  Rico.  Wher 
he  had  been  displaced  from  the  government  of  the  lattei 
island,  in  consequence  of  the  paramount  claims  of  Colum- 
bus's family,  he  fitted  out  an  expedition  with  the  romantio 


Where  was  the  first  permanent 
French  settlement  in  North  Ame- 
rica made  *    When  f    By  whom  ? 

When  was  Quebec  settled  f 

Who  were  the  earliest  European  set- 
tlers in  the  Nev  World  ? 


Who  was  Juan  Ponce  de  Leon  ? 
Where  had  ne  served  ? 
Under  what  leader  ? 
For  what  purpose  did  he  fit  out  ai 
expedition  ? 


•  BaiicrofL 


24 


DISCOVER/  OF  tLORlDA. 


design  of  scarcliingfor  a  country  in  which,  according  .c  inforiD 
ation  received  from  the  Caribs,  there  was  a  fountain  whose 
waters  imparted  to  those  who  bathed  in  them  the  gift  of  per- 
petual youth.  Having  sailed  about  among  the  Bali^ma«  and 
touched  at  several  of  them,  in  pursuit  of  this  fairy  land,  he  at 
length,  (March  27,  1512,)  came  in  sight  of  the  continent. 
As  this  discovery  was  made  on  Easter  Sunday,  which  the 
Spaniards  call  Pascua  Florida,  the  land  was  called  Floirida 
Its  verdant  forests  and  magnificent  flowering  aloes  ni'iy  have 
afforded  another  reason  for  assigning  it  this  name. 

It  was  not  till  the  8th  of  April  that  he  was  able  to  effect  a 
landmg  in  the  latitude  of  thirty  degrees  and  eight  minutes,  a 
little  to  the  north  of  St.  Augustine.  He  claimed  the  territory 
for  Spain,  remained  some  weeks  exploring  the  coast,  and 
then  returned  to  Porto  Rico,  leaving  a  part  of  his  company 
ill  the  newly  discovered  country. 

The  King  of  Spain  rewarded  him  with  the  government  of 
Florida,  on  condition  that  he  should  conquer  and  colonise  it. 
This  he  attempted  in  1521,  but  was  resisted  with  great  fury 
by  the  Indians,  who  killed  many  of  his  followers,  drove  the 
survivors  to  their  ships,  and  compelled  him  to  relinquish  the 
enterprise.  Ponce  de  Leon  himself  was  wounded  with  am 
arrow,  and  died  shortly  after  his  return  to  Cuba. 

In  1510,  the  southern  coast  of  the  United  States  w^as  par- 
tially explored  by  Grijalva;  and  in  1520,  Lucas  Vasques  de 
Ayllon  fitted  out  two  slave  ships,  from  St.  Domingo,  visited 
he  coast  of  South  Carolina,  then  called  Chicora,  discovered 
the  Combahee  river,  to  which  the  name  of  the  Jordan  was 
given;  and  finally,  having  decoyed  a  large  number  of  the 
Indians  on  board  his  ships,  set  sail  with  them  for  St.  Do- 
mingo, leaving  behind  the  most  determined  purpose  of 
revenge  among  the  injured  natives. 

His  sovereign  rewarded  this  atrocious  enterprise  by  ap- 
pointing Ayllon  to  the  conquest  of  Chicora.  In  attempting 
this,  he  lost  one  of  his  ships  and  a  great  number  of  his  men ; 
who  were  killed  by  the  natives  in  revenge  for  former  wrongs 
He  was  fini^Uy  compelled  to  relinquish  his  undertaking. 

In  1526,  Pampfeilo  ue  Narvaez,  the  ctsae  T^^J^et  who  had 


^at  country  did  he  discover  ? 
What  was  the  origin  of  its  naine  ? 
^Vte  did  he  land  ^ 
Wot  whom  did  he  claim  the  country  ? 
On  what  condition  was  he  made  gover- 
nor f 

What  prevented  his  retaining  the 
conn  try  i 


What  was  his  fate  ? 
What  was  done  by  Grijalva  ?  When  I 
By  Ayllon  •»   When  ? 
^©"35  Vie,  he  rewarded  ? 
Wai  i       Ms  success  ? 
What  was  attempted  by  lb«rTaaif 
Wh«n? 


FERDINAND  DE  SOTO. 


25 


been  sent  by  Velasquez  to  supersede  Cortes  in  M«xicc, 
attempted  the  conquest  of  Florida.  This  expedition  wat 
signally  disastrous.  The  Spaniards  landed  near  Appal achee 
bay,  marched  into  the  interior,  and  spent  six  months,  m 
various  hardships  and  conflicts  with  the  Indians,  and  at  lasi 
found  their  way  back  to  the  sea  shore,  somewhere  near  th« 
bay  of  Persacola.  Here  they  fitted  out  boats,  and  embark- 
ing weie  ^jhip wrecked  near  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi, 
Only  four  or  five  out  of  three  hundred  reached  Mexico  to 
tell  the  story  of  their  disasters.  These  men  gave  such 
flattering  accounts  X)f  the  riches  of  the  country,  that  their 
fiuflferings  by  no  means  deterred  others  from  attempting  its 
subjugation. 

The  wanderings  of  the  few  survivors  across  the  continent 
froni  one  ocean  to  the  other  is  one  of  the  most  interesting 
episodes  in  our  early  history,  and  one  of  them,  Cabeza  de 
Vaca,  has  left  a  quaint  account  Their  long  journey  lasted 
eight  years.  On  the  way  they  visited  the  Indians  on  the 
Rio  Grande,  whom  we  now  call  Pueblos,  and  when  after 
reaching  his  countrymen  he  described  their  strange  towns, 
with  houses  which  were  several  stories  high,  and  were  en- 
tered by  ladders  and  by  a  door  in  the  roof,  most  people 
ridiculed  him.  Expeditions  were,  however,  sent  from  Mexico, 
and  in  1541  Zuni  was  captured  by  the  Spaniards  under 
Coronado.  But  no  settlements  were  made,  and  missionary 
efforts  were  defeated  by  the  death  of  the  zealous  men,  whom 
the  Indians  soon  massacred. 

The  next  Spanish  adventurer  on  the  shores  of  the  United 
States  was  Ferdinand  de  Soto,  a  highly  distinguished  ofiicer, 
who  had  k^hared  the  glory  and  wealth  obtained  by  Pizarro  in 
the  conquest  of  Peru.  Returning  to  Spain  after  the  most 
brilliant  success  in  that  country,  he  demanded  of  Charles  V 
to  conquer  Florida  at  his  own  cost ;  and  received  from  that 
monarch,  a  commission  for  that  purpose,  together  with  the 
government  of  Cuba.  (1537.) 

Multitudes  of  adventurers  flocked  to  his  standard.  Ex 
pectation  had  been  raised  to  the  greatest  height  by  the 
exaggerated  accounts  of  the  wealth  of  Florida;  ancl  men  of 
all  classes  sold  their  possessions  in  Spain  to  fit  tlemselves 
out  for  a  conquest  which  promised  to  outshine  those  of 
"Mexico  and  Peru,  in  the  brilliancy  of  its  results. 


Describe  his  expedition. 

How  many  of  his  300  men  survived  ? 

Who  WW  Ferdinand  de  Soto  ? 


Under  whom  had  he  served  i 

In  what  country  ? 

What  did  be  ot&x  to  Cbftrlef  V? 


26 


SOTo's  EXPEDITION. 


Soto  selected  six  nundreJ  of  the  choicest  men  for  his 
companions,  and  sailed  to  Cuba.  (1538.)  Here  he  wag 
joine(^  by  other  adventurers,  and  having  completed  his  pre- 
parations, he  embarked  (oi  Florida  in  May,  1539.  Having 
arrived  in  the  bay  of  Spiritu  Santo,  he  sent  back  most  of  his 
ships  to  Havanna,  and  commenced  his  march  into  the  interio** 
— a  march  which  has  no  parallel  in  the  history  of  adventure. 
Fired  by  the  example  of  their  countrymen  in  the  more 
southern  regions,  the  Spaniards  advanced  as  if  to  certain 
conquest  and  wealth.  They  were  abundantly  supplied  with 
provisions  and  munitions  of  war,  horsey  for  the  cavalry,  ^nd 
blood  hounds  for  hunting  the  natives ;  and  their  numbers 
exceeded  those  of  the  armies  which  had  conquered  Mexico 
and  Peru.  But  they  were  destined  for  a  far  different  fate. 
Their  grand  error,  the  pursuit  of  gold,  was  the  source  of 
endless  disasters  and  sufferings. 

The  Indians,  who  were  determined  in  their  hostility  to 
the  invaders,  had  lecourse  to  stratagem,  as  well  as  force,  in 
order  to  get  rid  of  them.  They  continually  deceived  the 
Spaniards  by  representing  to  them  that,  by  continuing  their 
march  into  the  interior,  they  would  at  last  arrive  at  a  region 
abounding  with  gold — and  deluded,  again  and  again,  by  this 
plausible  story,  Soto  passed  onward  from  tribe  to  tribe,  and 
from  river  to  river,  until  his  splendid  and  well  appointed 
army  had  melted  away  to  a  mere  handful  of  men,  worn  out 
with  sufferings,  and  destitute  of  the  means  of  subsistence  or 
defence. 

Setting  out  from  the  bay  of  Spiritu  Santo  in  June,  1539, 
they  spent  the  time  in  wanderin-g  through  forests  and 
morasses,  until  October,  when  they  found  themselves  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Appalachee  bay. — The  men  were  iis 
pirited ;  and  desired  to  return  home  ;  but  Soto  would  not 
hear  of  such  a  measure  ;  he  sent  to  Cuba  for  supplies  for 
the  next  year's  expedition. 

In  March,  1540,  deluded  by  the  promise  of  an  Indian  guide 
to  conduct  him  to  a  country  where  gold  was  abundant,  Soto 
set  forth  again  and  marched  towards  the  north-east,  till  they 
reached  the  Ogechee,  and  then  through  the  country  of  the 
Chrrokees,  now  a  part  of  the  gold  region ;  but  without  dis- 
covering any  of  the  precious  metal.    From  Georgia  the 


How  many  adventurers  iccompanied 

him  ^ 
When  did  he  sail  f 
Where  did  he  land  ? 
Describe  his  arm j  ? 


What  was  his  error  f 
When  did  his  march  hegin  ? 
Where  were  the  Spaniards  in  October  7 
Whither  did  they  march  in  the  tqf 
ceeding  spring  ^ 


SOTO   IN  MISSOURI 


21 


Spaniards  passed  into  Alabama,  and  in  October  fought  a 
severe  battle  with  the  Indians,  at  a  town  which  was  then 
called  Mavilla  or  Mobile,  on  the  Alabama,  above  the  junction 
o\  the  Tombecbee.  In  this  engagement  2500  Indians  are 
Baid  to  have  fallen.  The  town  was  burned.  The  Spaniards 
had  18  killed  and  150  wounded,  and  lost  a  part  of  theii 
horses  and  all  their  baggage,  which  was  burned  in  the  town. 

Having  received  supplies  from  Cuba,  Soto  now  marched 
towards  the  north  and  west.  In  December,  1540,  he  had 
reached  the  upper  part  of  the  Mississippi,  where  he  wintered 
in  a  deserted  town  of  the  Chickasaws.  In  the  spring  he 
demanded  of  them  250  men,  to  carry  the  baggage  of  the 
soldiers.  The  Indians,  instead  of  complying  with  this 
unwarrantable  requisition,  set  fire  to  the  town  in  which  the 
Spaniards  were  encamped,  in  the  night,  and  attacked  them 
with  great  fury.  The  loss  of  men  in  this  encounter  was 
trifling,  but  the  Spaniards  suflfered  severely  from  the  destruc- 
tion of  their  clothing,  their  arms,  and  a  part  of  their  horses 
The  Indians  knew  not  how  to  follow  up  their  first  advantage 
and  the  invaders  were  soon  in  a  condition  to  continue  their 
progress  to  the  west. 

In  April,  1541,  Soto  discovered  the  Mississippi,  being 
the  first  European  who  visited  that  river.  In  June  he  had 
crossed  it;  and  reached  Missouri;  and  during  the  summer 
he  is  supposed  to  have  penetrated  as  far  as  the  highlands  of 
the  White  river,  200  miles  from  the  Mississippi.  Thence 
he  turned  towards  the  south,  and  passed  through  Arkansas 
into  Louisiana.  His  wanderings  and  contests  with  the 
Indians  continued  until  May  21st,  1542,  when,  worn  out 
with  sickness  and  fatigue,  the  unfortunate  Soto  died,  on  the 
banks  of  the  great  river  which  he  had  discovered.  To  con- 
ceal his  death  from  the  Indians  his  followers  sunk  his  body 
in  the  middle  of  the  stream. 

*  The  discoverer  of  the  Mississippi,'  says  Bancroft,  from 
whose  eloquent  history  we  have  condensed  this  brief  account 
of  his  expedition — '  the  discoverer  of  the  Mississippi  siepl 
beneath  its  waters.  He  had  crossed  a  large  part  of  the  con- 
tinent in  search  of  gold,  and  found  nothing  so  remarkable 
as  his  burial  place.' 


Where  did  they  fight  a  battle  with 

the  Indians  ?   When  ? 
What  was  the  result  ? 
What  transpired  in  December  ? 
In  the  spring  ? 

Wh»t  did  th«  Spaniards  lose  ? 


How  cid  the  Indians  me  their  adrua- 

tage  ? 

What  did  Soto  discover  m  April,  1541 
How  far  did  he  go  to  the  weft  ? 
To  what  place  did  he  return  f 
When  did  be  die  ? 


t6  THB  FRENCH  IN  CAROLINA. 

He  had  been  the  soul  of  the  enterprise ;  and  when  he  bar] 
perished,  the  remnant  of  his  followers  were  only  anxious  for 
a  safe  passage  to  their  countrymen.  Under  the  conduct  of 
Moscoso,  their  new  leader,  they  attempted  to  reach  Mexico, 
and  marched  300  miles  westward  from  the  Mississippi.  But 
the  Red  river  was  swollen  so  as  to  present  an  impassable 
barrier  to  their  further  progress,  and  they  were  compelled  to 
return  and  prepare  boats  for  passing  down  the  Mississippi  to 
the  gulf  of  Mexico — an  undertaking  of  great  difficulty  and 
danger,  which  was  not  accomplished  until  July  18th,  1543. 
Fifty  days  afterwards  the  remnant  of  Soto's  splendid  company 
of  adventurers,  now  reduced  to  311  in  number,  arrived  at 
the  province  of  Panuco  in  Mexico. 

Thus  far  the  Spaniards,  although  they  claimed  the  whole 
coast  of  the  United  States  under  the  name  of  Florida,  had  not 
effected  a  single  settlement  on  the  soil.  For  some  years  after 
Soto's  failure  the  design  seems  to  have  been  abandoned ;  until 
an  attempt  of  the  French  to  establish  a  colony  in  Florida 
awakened  the  jealousy  of  the  Spaniards,  and  brought  them 
forward  once  more,  to  revive  and  make  good  their  claim  to 
the  land  which  had  cost  them  so  much  blood  and  treasure. 

Gaspard  de  Coligny,  admiral  of  France,  conceived  the 
design  of  establishing  a  colony  of  French  Protestants  in 
America,  which  should  afford  a  refuge  to  those  who  were 
persecuted  for  their  religious  opinions,  during  the  civil  wars 
with  which  his  country  was  disturbed  in  the  reign  of  Charles 
IX.  He  obtained  a  commission  for  this  purpose  from  the 
king ;  and  intrusted  the  expedition  to  John  Ribault,  who 
sailed  with  a  squadron  in  February,  1562. 

Having  arrived  on  the  coast  of  Florida  in  the  latitude  ot 
St.  Augustine,  Ribault  explored  the  coast,  discovered  the  river 
St.  Johns,  which  he  called  the  river  of  May,  and  visited  Port 
Royal  entrance,  near  Beaufort,  and  having  left  a  colony  of 
26  persons  at  a  fort  which  he  named  Carolina  in  honour  of 
Charles  IX,  he  returned  to  France.  The  civil  wars  in  tha 
kingdom  being  revived,  no  reinforcements  were  sent  out  to 
the  colony,  and  it  was  speedily  abandoned. 

On  the  return  of  peace  (1564)  Coligny  was  enabled  to  send 
out  a  new  expedition  under  Laudonniere,  an  able  and  intelli- 
gent commander,  who  arrived  on  the  coast  of  Florida  in  June, 


What  course  did  his  foUowers  take  ? 

Under  what  commander  ? 

What  caused  their  return  ? 

How  did  they  reach  Mexico  ?  When  ? 

Wm  mMJiy  of  the  Spaniards  lurviyed  f 


What  nation  next  attempted  *Jie  itt- 

tlement  of  Florida  ? 
Where  did  Admiral  Colignj  planf  f 

colony  f    When  ? 
What  occasioned  its  faihue  i 


MASSACRE  or  THE  FRENCH. 


29 


began  a  settlement  on  the  river  May,  and  erected  a  new  Fori 
Carolina,  many  leagues  to  the  south  of  its  predecessor.  Here 
they  had  to  encounter  the  usual  hardsliips  and  privations  of 
settlers  in  a  new  country,  till  December  of  the  same  year, 
when  a  part  of  the  colonists,  under  pretence  of  escaping  from 
amine,  obtained  permission  from  Laudonniere  to  equip  two 
vessels  and  sail  for  Mexico.  But  instead  of  doing  so,  they 
began  to  capture  Spanish  vessels.  They  were  taken  and 
nunished,  as  pirates. 

When  the  colony  was  nearly  exhausted  by  the  scarcity  ot 
Ctod,  relief  was  brought  by  the  fleet  of  Sir  John  Hawkins, 
who  furnished  a  supply  of  provisions,  and  made  the  offier  of 
one  uf  his  vessels  to  convey  the  French  to  their  own  country 
Jnst  a«  they  were  preparing  to  embark,  Ribault  arrived  with 
a  reinforcement  and  ample  supplies  of  every  kind. 

The  colony  had  now  a  fair  prospect  of  ultimate  success, 
But  it  had  been  planted  in  a  territory  to  which  the  Spanish 
had  a  prior  claim,  which,  although  dormant,  was  by  no  means 
extinct.  An  expedition  was  soon  fitted  out  for  the  occupation 
of  Florida;  and  its  departure  from  Spain  was  hastened  by  the 
report,  that  the  country  was  already  in  possession  of  a  com- 
pany of  settlers  doubly  obnoxious  to  the  Spaniards  on  account 
of  their  nation  and  their  religion.  They  were  not  only 
Frenchmen,  but  Protestants. 

This  expedition,  commanded  by  Pedro  Melendez,  came  in 
sight  of  the  Florida  shore  in  August,  1565.  A  few  days 
afterwards  Melendez  discovered  and  named  the  harbour  of 
St.  Augustine,  and  learned  the  position  of  the  French.  Before 
attacking  them,  he  landed  at  St.  Augustine,  and  took  pcis- 
session  of  the  continent  in  the  name  of  the  King  of  Spain,  an»,^ 
aid  the  foundation  of  the  town.  This  interesting  event  took 
place  on  the  8th  of  September,  1585  ;  more  than  forty  years 
defore  the  settlement  of  Jamestown  in  Virginia.  St.  Augustine 
can,  therefore,  boast  a  higher  antiquity  than  the  Ancient  Do- 
minion. 

Meanwhile  the  French,  having  learned  the  arrival  of  their 
enemies,  nearly  all  abandoned  the  settlement  on  the  river 
May,  embarked  in  their  fleet,  and  were  shipwrecked  on  th« 
coast.    The  remnant  were  attacked  and  massacred  by  the 


Where  did  Laudonniere  make  a  set-   Who  threatened  its  extinction  i 


tlement  ? 

What  was  done  by  a  part  of  the  set- 
tlers ? 

Who  relieveij  the  colony  ? 
What  did  he  oflFer  to  the  French  f 


3* 


When  did  Melendez  arrive  ? 
What  town  did  he  found  ? 
What  is  said  of  it  ? 
How  were  the  French  coloniiiti  tsm^ 
ed  by  Melendez  f 


30 


MA§9ACRE  OF  THB  SPAMAROft. 


Spaiiards,  who,  in  honour  of  the  saint  on  whose  festival  th« 
victory  had  been  obtained,  gave  the  river  May  the  name  of 
St.  Matheo,  or  St.  Matthew.  Those  Frenchmen  who  had 
survived  the  shipwreck  of  the  fleet,  surrendered  to  Melendez 
on  a  piomise  of  safety ;  but  they  were  nearly  all  put  to  death, 
many  of  them  were  hung  on  gibbets  with  the  inscription  over 
their  heads,  'Not  as  Frenchmen,  hut  as  Protestants.^  A  few 
Catholics  were  saved  from  the  massacre.  After  tlius  extirpat- 
ing the  French  colony,  the  Spaniards  sailed  for  their  native 
country,  leaving  a  force  in  possession  of  the  settlement. 

As  the  French  government  took  no  measures  for  punishing 
this  aggression,  Dominic  de  Gourgues,  a  French  oflicer  of 
some  distinction,  fitted  out  an  expedition  of  three  Fhips  and 
one  hundred  and  fifty  men  at  his  own  cost,  (1568,)  for  the 
express  purpose  of  avenging  his  murdered  countrymen.  He 
surprised  the  forts  on  the  river  St.  Matheo,  and  captured  a 
considerable  number  of  prisoners,  who  were  forthwith  hanged 
upon  trees  with  the  inscription  over  their  heads,  */  do  not 
this  as  unto  Spaniards  or  mariners,  but  as  unto  traitors^ 
robbers,  and  murderers,^  He  then  embarked  without  at- 
tempting to  keep  possession  of  his  conquest.  His  acts  were 
disavowed  by  the  French  government,  and  the  Spaniards 
continued  to  hold  the  colony. 

Thus  it  appears,  that  up  to  the  year  1568,  the  Spaniards 
were  the  only  nation  holding  possessions  within  the  territory 
at  present  belonging  to  the  United  States.  It  was  nearly  forty 
years  after  this  that  England  began  the  setdement  of  Virginia. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

BNOLAND  ATTEMPTS  TO  COLONIZE  THE  UNITED  STATEft. 

The  fisheries  of  Newfoundland  appear  to  have  been  visited 
frequently,  if  not  annually,  by  the  English  as  well  as  the 
French  navigators,  during  the  early  part  of  the  sixteenth 
century ;  and  both  nations  cherished  the  design  of  founding 
colonies  in  North  America.  We  have  already  shown  that 
Nova  Scotia  was  settled  by  the  French  in  1605,  and  Canada 
in  1608. 


How  was  this  revenged! 
By  whom 

Wliai  part  ox  North  Americt  was 


visited  by  the  French  and  £ngliflk 
in  the  early  part  of  the  I6th  c«>- 
tory? 


m  FRANCIS  DllAKB. 


31 


Previous  to  these  settlements  the  English  were  by  no  meana 
inactive  in  .he  career  of  western  adventure.  The  discovery 
of  a  north-west  passage  to  India  was  a  favourite  project  with 
them,  notwithstanding  the  failure  of  the  Cabots  in  attempting 
it.  An  expedition  for  this  purpose  was  fitted  out  by  Martin 
Frobisher,  under  the  patronage  of  Dudley,  Earl  of  Warwick, 
in  1576.  It  consisted  of  two  small  barks,  of  twenty  and 
twenty -five  tons  burden,  one  of  which  was  lost  on  the  outward 
passage.  With  the  remaining  vessel  Frobisher  pursued  his 
voyage  ;  landed  on  the  coast  of  Labrador,  and  brought  away 
•ome  of  the  mineral  productions  of  the  country.  On  his  re 
turn  one  of  the  stones  he  had  found  was  thought,  by  the 
English  refiners,  to  contain  gold.  This  circumstance  gave  a 
new  direction  to  British  enterprise,  and  gold  became  now  the 
grand  object  of  discovery.  Queen  Elizabeth  contributed  to 
the  fitting  out  of  a  new  expedition,  which  returned  laden  with 
what  was  supposed  to  be  gold  ore,  but  was  soon  discovered  to 
be  worthless  earth.  (1577.)  Not  discouraged  by  this  result, 
the  queen  lent  her  aid  to  a  new  enterprise,  which  had  for  lis 
objects  the  permanent  settlement  of  that  high  northern  region 
and  the  working  of  its  supposed  mines  of  gold.  Fifteen 
vessels,  carrying  one  hundred  settlers,  many  of  whom  were 
sons  of  the  English  gentry,  were  despatched  in  pursuit  of 
boundless  wealth  in  the  New  World.  The  fleet  encountered 
great  difficulties  and  dangers  among  the  currents  and  islands 
of  ice,  with  which  the  northern  seas  abounded ;  the  settlers 
were  afraid  to  remain  in  so  dreary  a  region ;  and  their  hopes 
of  bringing  home  cargoes  of  gold  ore  were,  of  course,  as  futile 
as  those  of  their  predecessors. 

While  these  attempts  were  made  on  the  eastern  coast  of 
North  America,  Sir  Francis  Drake,  in  one  of  his  cruises  in 
search  of  Spanish  merchantmen  in  the  Pacific,  thought  proper 
to  explore  the  western  coast  in  hopes  of  finding  the  supposed 
northern  strait  connecting  the  two  oceans.  He  sailed  as  far 
as  the  forty-third  degree  of  north  latitude,  and  was  conse- 
quently the  first  Englishman  who  visited  the  Oregon  territory. 
(1579.) 

The  plan  of  colonisation  was,  meanwhile,  ^evived  by  Sir 
Humphrey  Gilbert,  a  man  of  intelligence  and  singular  intre- 
pidity, who,  having  obtained  a  charter  from  Queen  Elizabeth, 


What  was  the  object  of  Frobisher's 

expedition  f 
Where  did  he  land  ? 
What  did  he  bring  away  ? 
What  occationed  a  new  expedition  ? 


What  was  the  result  ? 

What  was  the  result  of  thf  third 

expedition  ? 
What   discovery  wai  mado  bf 

Drake  ? 


82 


ENGLISH  IN  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


sailed  from  England  with  a  small  fleet  in  1579,  in  hopes  of 
establishing  a  permanent  colony :  out  the  loss  of  one  of  his 
ships  and  other  disasters  compelled  him  to  return.  A  new 
squadron  was  fitted  out  by  the  joint  exertions  of  Gilbert  and 
his  step-brother,  Walter  Raleigh,  in  1583.  Nothing  more 
was  accomplished  by  this  expedition,  than  the  empty  cere- 
mony of  taking  possession  of  Newfoundland  in  the  queen's 
name,  and  the  discovery  of  some  earth  which  was  falsely 
supposed  to  contain  silver.  On  the  passage  home,  the  small 
vessel  in  which  the  unfortunate  Gilbert  sailed  was  foundered. 
Her  companion  reached  England  in  safety. 

Not  disheartened  by  the  sad  fate  of  his  step-brother,  Raleigh 
determined  to  found  a  colony  farther  to  the  south.  For  this 
purpose,  having  obtained  a  patent  from  the  queen,  he  de- 
spatched two  vessels  under  the  command  of  Amidas  and 
Barlow,  who  arrived  on  the  shores  of  Carolina  in  July,  1584 
and  after  sailing  along  the  coast  for  a  distance  of  one  hundred 
miles,  landed  on  the  island  of  Wococken,  the  southernmost 
of  the  islands  forming  Ocracock  inlet.  They  were  delighted 
with  the  rich  and  verdant  appearance  of  the  country,  and  the 
mild  and  gentle  manners  of  the  natives  ;  and  having  explored 
Albemarle  and  Pamlico  sounds  and  Roanoke  island,  and 
induced  two  of  the  natives  to  accompany  them,  they  returned 
lo  England. 

The  accounts,  which  they  gave  of  the  beauty  and  fertility 
of  the  country,  were  so  flattering,  that  Queen  Elizabeth 
considered  it  an  important  addition  to  her  dommions,  and 
gave  it  the  name  of  Virginia,  in  reference  to  her  own  un- 
married state.  Raleigh,  who  had  now  received  th»  honour 
of  knighthood,  soon  fitted  out  a  new  expedition  of  seven 
vessels,  carrying  one  hundred  and  eight  settlers  under  the 
direction  of  Ralph  Lane,  who  was  appointed  governor  of  the 
colony.  Sir  Richard  Grenville,  Hariot,  Cavendish,  and  other 
distinguished  men  accompanied  him.  Arriving  on  the  coast, 
the  fleet  was  in  some  danger  of  shipwreck  near  a  head  land, 
to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  Cape  Fear.  It  escaped, 
however,  and  arrived  at  Roanoke.  After  landing,  the  men  of 
science,  attached  to  the  expedition,  made  an  excursion,  to 


When  did  GilbeiVs  first  expedition 

take  place  ? 
What  was  the  result  ? 
What  was  accomplished  by  Gilbert 

and  Raleigh's  expedition  ? 
What  was  Gilbert's  fate  ? 
Who  were  sent  out  by  Raleigh  in 


Where  did  they  land  ? 
What  followed  ? 

What  name  did  tue  qae«n  give  tht 

country  ? 

Who  commanded  the  next  expcdi* 

tion  ? 

What  distinguiihe^  fersroi  Aooom 
panied  Hi 


TOB  LAST  MOMENTS  OF  »IR  W!7)lfPHRKT  QlLVSmT* 


FIRST  SETTLEMENT  OF  ROANOKE 


33 


examine  the  country ;  and  in  revenge  for  some  petty  theft,  Sii 
Richard  Grenville  ordered  ^n  Indian  town  to  be  burnt.  He 
soon  after  sailed  for  England,  leaving  Lane  and  his  company 
oehind.  Hariot,  who  was  an  accurate  observer  of  nature, 
paid  considerable  attention  to  the  native  productions  of  the 
soil.    Among  these  were  tobacco,  maize  or  Indiar  corn,  and 

Potatoes,  which,  till  then  unknown  to  the  English,  have  since 
ecome  important  sources  of  subsistence  and  wealth  in  every 
part  of  the  country. 

The  Indians  were  at  first  considered  by  no  means  formi- 
dable to  the  colonists.  Their  weapons  were  bows  and  arrows, 
and  wooden  swords.  They  were  divided  into  numerous 
small  tribes,  independent  of  each  other.  The  largest  of  these 
tribes  could  scarcely  muster  a  thousand  warriors.  Their 
terror  at  the  effects  of  the  English  fire-arms  was  only  equalled 
by  the  superstitious  reverence  which  they  professed  for  beings 
who  were  so  much  their  superiors  in  knowledge  and  arts. 

Their  fears,  however,  did  not  restrain  them  from  attempts 
to  destroy  the  intruders,  as  soon  as  they  began  to  suspect 
them  of  a  design  to  supplant  themselves  in  the  possession  of 
the  soil.  They  formed  a  conspiracy  to  massacre  the  English, 
and  even  thought  of  abandoning  their  fields  in  order  to  drive 
them  away  by  famine.  When  the  situation  of  the  colony  had 
oe'come  critical,  and  the  people  were  beginning  to  despond, 
Sir  Francis  Drake,  with  a  fleet  of  twenty-three  vessels,  on  his 
way  from  the  West  Indies  to  England,  paid  them  a  visit ;  and 
ihe  whole  colony  abandoned  the  soil,  and  returned  to  theii 
native  country.  (1586.) 

A  few  days  afterwards,  a  ship,  which  had  been  sent  out  by 
Raleigh,  arrived  with  supplies  for  the  colony,  and  soon  after. 
Sir  Richard  Grenville,  with  three  more  ships,  sought  in  vain 
for  those  whom  he  had  so  recently  left  full  of  hope  and  reso- 
lution, to  hold  permanent  possession  of  the  land.  He  left 
fifteen  men  on  the  island  of  Roanoke,  who  were  afterward:? 
ascertained  to  have  been  murdered  by  the  Indians. 

Next  year  (1587)  Raleigh  sent  out  a  colony  of  emigrants 
with  their  wives  and  families,  hoping  thus  to  ensure  their 
permanent  residence.  They  were  directed  to  settle  on  Chesa- 
peake bay,  but  the  governor,  White,  was  compelled  by  the 


Who  was  left  in  command  of  the 
colony  ? 

What  important  productions  of  the 

soil  were  discovered  ? 
What  is  said  of  the  Indians  i 
What  did  they  attempt  * 


What  caused  the  abandcnment  of  the 

colony  ?    When  t 
Who  arrived  soon  afterwards  f 
What  befell  the  colonists  left  by  him? 
How  did  Raleigh  endeavour  to  reode 

the  r^xt  colony  permanent  ? 


34 


UOBNOLL    IN   NKW  ENGLAND 


commiinder  hi  the  fli  ei  to  remain  on  Roanoke.  The  eini^anlh 
met  with  th'^  usual  hardships,  and  many  of  them  only  remained 
till  the  close  of  the  summer.  During  their  stay,  Virginia 
Dare,  the  grand-daughter  of  the  governor,  was  born,  the  first 
descendant  of  English  parents  in  our  country. 

She  remained  with  her  parents  after  the  governor  had 
returned  to  England,  and  with  them  she  perished  in  the  land 
jf  her  birth.  The  threatened  invasion  of  England  by  the 
Spanish  armada,  prevented  Raleigh  from  sending  out  rein- 
forcements'; and  when,  in  1590,  governor  White  returned  to 
search  for  his  daughter  and  grand-child,  Roanoke,  the  place 
of  their  settlement,  was  deserted.  The  fate  of  the  colony  was 
never  precisely  ascertained. 

When  the  English  had  succeeded  in  defeating  the  Spanish 
deet,  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  finding  his  fortune  too  much  dimi- 
nished to  continue  the  project  of  colonising  Virginia,  made  use 
of  the  privilege  granted  in  his  patent  to  form  a  company  of 
merchants  and  adventurers,  for  the  purpose  of  effecting  his 
original  design.  Among  the  members  of  the  new  company 
was  Richard  Hakluyt,  prebendary  of  Westminster,  a  man  of 
distinguished  learning  and  intelligence,  and  the  author  of  an 
extensive  collection  of  voyages.  He  contributed  more  than 
any  other  individual  to  awaken  among  his  countrymen  that 
spirit  of  foreign  enterprise,  for  which  they  have  ever  since 
been  distinguished.  Although  the  design  of  the  new  company 
was  not  immediately  executed,  yet  to  them  we  are  chiefly 
indebted  for  the  expedition  which  finally  effected  a  permanent 
settlement,  as  we  shall  hereafter  relate. 

While  their  operations  were  suspended,  a  voyage  took 
place,  which  had  nearly  given  to  New  England  a  priority  over 
Virginia  in  the  period  of  its  settlement.  This  voyage  was 
undertaken  in  1603,  by  Bartholomew  Gosnold,  who,  aban 
doning  the  usual  route  to  America  by  the  Canaries  and  West 
Indies,  sailed  directly  across  the  Atlantic  and  landed  in 
Massachusetts  Bay,  discovered  and  named  Cape  Cod,  the 
Elizabeth  Islands,  and  Buzzard's  Bay,  which  he  called  Gos- 
nold's  Hope.  On  the  westernmost  of  the  Elizabeth  Islands, 
to  which  he  gave  the  name  now  applied  to  the  whole  group, 
he  landed  some  men  with  a  design  of  settling.  A  fort  ana 
store  house  were  built;  and  preparations  were  made  for  a 


Did  he  succeed  ?  ]  What  discoveries  were  made  by  Gos- 

Who  was  the  first  Anglo-American  ?  [     nold  in  New  England  ? 
WhMX  is  «aid  of  Haklujrt  ^  I  Did  he  make  a  permaneni  settlement 

I    in  New  En^cland  i 


VOYAGES  OF  PRINO  AND  WEYMOUTH. 


15 


permanent  residence  on  the  spot.  But  the  courage  of  the 
colonists  failed,  and  the  whole  company  returned  to  England 
after  a  short  voyage  of  four  months. 

In  1603,  and  1606,  Martin  Pring  made  tvi^o  voyages  to  the 
American  coast,  which  he  explored  from  Martha's  Vineyard 
to  the  north-eastern  part  of  Maine.  His  object  was  to  trafRc 
wuh  the  natives,  and  in  this  he  was  successful. 

Nearly  the  same  ground  was  passed  over  in  1605,  by  George 
Weymouth,  who  discovered  and  ascended  the  Penobscot 
river;  and  on  his  return  brought  away  five  of  the  natives 
whom  he  had  decoyed  on  board  his  ship. 

Thus  far  the  attempts  of  the  English  to  form  permanent 
settlements  on  our  shores  were  unsuccessful.  Still  these 
expeditions  served  to  keep  alive  the  claims  which  were 
founded  on  the  discovery  of  the  Cabots  ;  and  the  extent  of 
the  explorations  made  by  English  voyagers  on  the  coast,  was 
subsequently  considered  a  sufficient  ground  for  expelling,  or 
incorporating  with  their  own  establishments,  the  colonies 
which  were  planted  by  other  nations  on  the  soil  of  the 
United  States. 


CHAPTER  V. 

COLONISATION  OF  VIRGINIA. 

Although  the  attempts  to  form  a  permanent  colony  in 
Virginia  had  not  hitherto  succeeded,  many  persons  of  distinc- 
tion in  England  still  entertained  sanguine  hopes  of  ultimately 
effecting  this  grand  object.  Gosnold,  whose  voyage  to  New 
England  we  have  already  noticed,  succeeded  in  forming  a 
company  consisting  of  himself,  Wingfield,  a  merchant,  Hunt, 
a  clergyman,  and  the  celebrated  Captain  John  Smith ;  and 
ihey  were,  for  more  than  a  year,  engaged  in  considering  the 
project  of  a  plantation.  At  the  same  time  Sir  Ferdinand 
Gorges  was  forming  a  similar  design,  in  which  he  was  joined 
by  Sir  John  Popham,  lord  chief  justice  of  England. 

Hakluyt,  who  was  a  participator  in  the  privileges  of  Ra- 
leigh's patent,  was  desirous  of  proceeding  with  his  plan  ot 


Why  not  ? 

What  is  said  of  Pring  expedition  ? 
Of  Weymcuth*s  ? 


What  is  said  of  all  these  unsuccessful 
expeditions  of  the  English  ? 
I  WTiat  persons  now  formed  the  design 
I     nf  colonisinti  ViixiDia  f 


36 


FIRST  CHARTER  OF  VIK»jaN1A. 


colonisation ;  and  the  King  of  England,  James  I,  was  favouf 
ably  disposed  towards  the  design  of  enlarging  his  dominions, 
A  company  was  formed  by  Gates,  Somers,  Gosnold,  Smith, 
Hakluyt,  Gorges,  and  Popham ;  application  was  made  to  the 
king  for  a  charter;  and  one  was  readily  obtained  which  secured 
imple  privileges  to  the  colonists. 

On  the  10th  of  April,  1606,  the  charter  was  issued  undei 
the  great  seal  of  England,  to  the  petitioners.  Sir  Thomaa 
Gates  and  his  associates,  granting  to  them  those  territories  in 
America,  lying  on  the  sea  coast  between  the  34th  and  45th 
degrees  of  north  latitude,  (that  is,  from  Cape  Fear  to  Halifax,) 
and  which  either  belonged  to  James  I,  or  were  not  then  pos- 
sessed by  any  other  Christian  prince  or  people;  and  also  the 
islands  adjacent  to,  or  within  one  hundred  miles  of  the  coast. 
The  French  settlement  already  noticed  in  Nova  Scotia,  then 
called  Acadia,  was  of  course  excepted  by  these  terms. 

The  petitioners  were  divided  by  their  own  desire  into  two 
companies ;  one  consisting  of  certain  knights,  gentlemen, 
merchants  and  other  adventurers  of  the  city  of  London,  and 
elsewhere,  was  called  the  first  colony,  and  was  reqmred  to 
•ettle  between  the  34th  and 41st  degrees  of  north  latitude:  the 
other  consisting  of  certain  knights,  gentlemen,  merchants  ana' 
other  adventurers  of  Bristol,  Exeter,  and  other  places  in  the 
west  of  England,  and  called  the  second  colony,  was  ordered 
to  settle  between  the  38th  and  45th  degrees  of  north  latitude. 

The  intermediate  region  from  38  to  41  degrees  was  open 
to  both  companies,  and  to  prevent  collision,  each  was  to  pos- 
sess the  soil  extending  fifty  miles  north  and  south  of  its  first 
settlement.  Thus,  neither  company  could  plant  within  one 
hundred  miles  of  a  colony  of  its  rival. 

The  patent  also  empowered  the  companies  to  transport  to 
the  colonies  as  many  English  subjects  as  should  be  willing  to 
accompany  them,  who  with  their  descendants  were  to  retain 
the  same  liberties,  within  any  other  dominions  of  the  crown 
of  England,  as  if  they  had  remained  or  were  born  within  the 
realm.  The  land  of  the  colonies  was  to  be  held  on  the  con- 
dition of  homage  to  the  crown,  and  a  rent  consisting  of  one- 
fifth  of  the  net  produce  of  gold  and  silver,  and  one-fifth  of  the 
copper  which  might  be  taken  from  the  mines  to  be  discovered. 


Who  obtained  Uie  first  charter  ? 
From  what  king  ? 
When  ? 

What  territories  did  it  grant  ? 
Did  this  include  French  America  ? 
Bfow  w«re  the  petitioners  divided  ? 


What  was  required  cf  the  fijst  cioi»- 

pany  ? 
Who  composed  it  ? 
What  was  required  of  the  sectmd  f 
Who  composed  it  ? 
What  privileges  were  granted  to  ths 

colonists  f 


aOVERNMENT  UNDER  THE  FIRST  CHARTER,  37 

The  right  of  coining  money  was  also  conferred  on  the  cdo- 
aies. 

The  government  of  the  colony,  the  king  retained  as  much 
as  was  possible  in  his  own  hands  ;  for  it  was  one  of  his  foi- 
bles, to  imagine  that  he  possessed  the  most  consummate  skill, 
not  only  in  the  construction  of  laws,  but  in  the  policy  of 
government. 

Accordingly  the  superintendence  of  the  whole  colonial  sys 
tern  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  council  in  England ;  and  the 
administratiou  of  affairs  in  each  colony  was  confided  to  a 
council  residing  within  its  limits.  The  king  reserved  to  him- 
self and  his  successors  the  right  of  appointing  the  members 
of  the  superior  council,  and  of  causing  those  of  the  colonial 
councils  to  be  ordained  or  removed  according  to  his  own 
'nstructions.  He  also  took  upon  himself  the  task,  so  agree- 
able to  his  vanity,  of  framing  a  code  of  laws  both  general  and 
particular. 

Thus  the  legislative  and  executive  powers  were  all  virtually 
reserved  to  the  crown  of  England.  *  At  this  time,'  says  a 
late  writer,*  *  the  English  were  accustomed  to  the  arbitrary 
rule  of  their  monarchs,  and  the  limits  of  the  royal  prerogative 
were  unknown.  It  was  either  not  perceived,  or  not  attended 
to,  that  by  placing  the  legislative  and  executive  powers  in  a 
council  nominated  by  the  king,  every  settler  in  America  was 
deprived  of  the  chief  privilege  of  a  freeman — that  of  giving 
his  voice  in  the  election  of  those  who  frame  the  laws  which 
he  is  to  observe,  and  impose  the  taxes  which  he  is  to  pay.* 

By  the  code  of  laws,  which  the  king  prepared,  it  w-as  pro- 
vided that  the  superior  council  in  England  might  name  the 
colonial  council,  with  power  to  elect  its  own  officers  and  fill 
its  own  vacancies.  The  religion  of  the  church  of  England 
was  established  for  the  colony.  Lands  were  to  descend  by 
the  common  law.  Murder,  sedition,  and  some  other  crimes 
were  punishable  by  death  after  trial  by  jury.  But  civil 
causes,  requiring  corporeal  punishment,  were  decided  by  the 
council,  which  was  also  empowered  to  enact  such  additional 
laws  as  the  condition  of  the  colony  might  require.  Com- 
merce with  foreign  nations  was  not  restrained  either  by  the 
terms  of  the  patent  or  the  laws. 


What  is  said  of  the  King  f 

What  was  the  form  of  government 

under  the  first  charter  of  Virginia  ? 
Where  were  the  legislative  and  ex- 

ecutive  powers  vestea  f 


What  remaiks  on  this  subject  vn 
quoted  ? 

What  were  the  provisions  of  tlifl 
laws  made  by  King  James  for  Vir- 
ginia ? 


•  Hodgson, 


38 


NEWPORT  SAILS   FROM  ENGLAND 


Such  were  the  regulations  under  whi^h  the  patentees  pro- 
ceeded to  the  arduous  task  of  founding  a  colony  at  the  distanc*- 
of  three  thousand  miles  from  the  mother  country,  in  a  regi<»n 
filled  with  powerful  tribes  of  savages,  who,  if  they  should  ai 
first  receive  them  as  friendly  visiters,  would  not  be  slow  to 
discover  that  their  occupation  of  the  soil  was  dangerous  a 
themselves  and  their  posterity. 

Having  procured  their  charter,  the  patentees  proceeded  to 
dt  out  a  squadron  of  three  small  vessels^  the  largest  not  ex 
needing  one  hundred  tons  burden,  bearing  one  hundred  an( 
five  men  destined  to  remain.  This  squadron  was  placed 
under  the  command  of  Captain  Newport;  and  sailed  from 
England  on  the  19th  of  December,  1606,  one  hundred  and 
nine  years  after  the  discovery  of  the  continent  by  Cabot. 

Among  the  emigrants  were  some  gentlemen  of  distin- 
guished families,  particularly  Mr.  Percy,  brotlier  to  the  Earl 
of  Northumberland  ;  but  there  was  a  great  deficiency  of  arti- 
sans, mechanics,  and  labourers,  so  absolutely  necessary  in  a 
new  setdement,  and  none  of  the  men  brought  families  with 
them,  which  at  the  present  day  we  should  consider  quite 
essential  to  the  success  of  such  an  enterprise.  On  the  voy- 
age, dissensions  arose  ;  and  as  King  James  had  concealed  the 
names  and  instructions  of  the  council  in  a  box,  which  was 
not  to  be  opened  till  their  arrival,  no  one  could  assume  the 
authority  necessary  to  repress  disorders.  Smith,  on  account 
of  his  superior  merit  and  ability,  was  particularly  obnoxious 
<o  the  other  adventurers. 

Captain  Newport  pursued  the  old  track  by  the  way  of  the 
Canaries  and  the  West  Indies,  and,  as  he  turned  to  the  north, 
he  was  carried  by  a  severe  storm  beyond  Roanoke,  whither 
he  had  been  ordered,  into  Chesapeake  bay.  Having  disco- 
vered and  named  Cape  Henry  and  Cape  Charles,  in  honour 
of  the  king's  sons,  he  sailed  up  the  noble  bay.  All  the  com- 
pany were  filled  with  admiration  of  its  extent,  the  fertility 
of  its  shores,  and  the  magnificent  features  of  the  surrounding 
scenery. 

They  soon  entered  the  river  Powhatan,  which  in  honour 
of  the  king  was  called  James  river ;  and,  after  seventeen  days 
search,  fixed  upon  the  peninsula  of  Jamestown,  about  fifty 
miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  stream,  as  a  suitable  site  foi  the 
colony.    They  landed  on  the  13th  of  May,  1607;  and,  hav- 


Who  commanded  the  first  expedition 

under  tai&  charter  f 
When  did  it  §ail  ? 
What  happened  on  the  voyage  / 


What  bay,  capos,  and  river  were  dis- 
covered ? 
Where  did  they  land  f 
When  f 


SETTLEMENT  OF  JAMESTOWN. 


89 


ing  learned,  from  the  papers  contained  in  the  king's  box, 
who  were  the  appointed  members  of  the  council,  that  body 
elected  Wingfield  for  their  president,  and  excluded  Captain 
Smith  from  their  number,  on  a  charge  of  sedition. 

The  first  permanent  English  settlement  was  at  last  to  be 
made,  although  the  beginnings  did  not  promise  succesSo 
The  spot  selected  for  establishing  the  new  colony  was 
adopted  only  after  a  search  of  seventeen  days,  during  which 
they  found  one  tribe  fierce  and  hostile,  though  most  of  the 
natives  received  them  as  friends^  and  offered  them  the  calu- 
met or  pipe  of  peace. 

The  site  selected  was  one  naturally  adapted  for  their  pur- 
pose, and  capable  of  being  easily  defended.  The  English 
colonists  set  to  work  with  hearty  good-will,  and  the  forest 
echoed  to  their  cheery  voices  as  they  felled  the  sturdy  trees 
to  fashion  rudely  into  logs  for  their  houses  and  stockades. 
Others  were  trading  with  the  natives,  giving  European  wares 
for  products  of  the  country. 

A  few  liuts  were  raised  to  protect  them  from  the  incle- 
mency of  the  weather,  and  a  small  fort  for  defence  against  the 
natives.  A  part  of  the  men  were  employed  in  cutting  limber 
and  loading  the  ships  for  England,  while  Newport  and  Smith 
with  a  small  party  ascended  the  river,  and  visited  the  Indian 
king,  Powhatan,  in  his  capital,  which  consisted  of  twelve 
wigwams.  His  subjects  regarded  the  English  as  intruders, 
but  the  king  himself  manifested  a  friendly  disposition. 

In  a  month,  Newport  set  sail  for  England ;  and  then  the 
difficulties  of  the  colonists  began  to  be  apparent.  Their  pro- 
visions were  spoiled,  and  the  climate  was  soon  found  to  be 
as  uncongenial  to  European  constitutions  as  the  wild  country 
was  to  their  idle  and  dissipated  habits.  During  the  summer, 
nearly  every  man  was  sick,  and,  before  autumn,  fifty  of  their 
number  had  died.  Among  them  was  Bartholomew  Gosnold, 
the  original  projector  of  the  settlement,  and  one  of  the  ablest 
and  best  men  in  the  council. 

The  incapacity  and  dissensions  of  the  council  made  it 
necessary  to  confide  the  management  of  aflfairs  to  Captain 
Smith,  whose  energy  and  prudence  soon  revived  the  hopes 


Who  was  excluded  ? 

Who  was  intrusted  with  the  com- 
mand of  the  colony  ? 

What  were  their  first  proceedings  ? 

Who  visited  Powhatan  ? 

How  were  they  regarded  by  his  sub- 
jects / 


By  himself  ? 

What  did  the  colonists  endoie  aftei 

the  ships  leit  them  ? 
Who  died  ? 

Who  was  afterwards  intnisted  with 
the  management  of  afll  urs  t 


40 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  SMITH. 


of  the  coionists.  In  the  autumn  the  Indians  brought  them  a 
eupply  of  provisions ;  and  abundance  of  wild  fowl  and  game 
was  found  in  the  woods. 

It  had  been  enjoined  upon  them,  by  the  London  company, 
to  explore  some  stream  running  from  the  north-west,  in  hopes 
of  finding  a  passage  to  the  Pacific  Ocean;  and  Smith,  with 
probably  very  little  expectation  of  making  such  a  discovery 
obeyed  this  injunction  by  sailing  up  the  Chickahominy  as  far 
as  he  could  in  boats ;  and  then,  to  gratify  his  own  fondness 
for  adventure  and  research,  he  landed  and  proceeded  into  the 
interior.  The  party  was  surprised  by  the  Indians,  and  all 
but  Smith  were  put  to  death. 

In  this  emergency,  the  self-possession  and  courage  of  this 
remarkable  man  preserved  his  life.  Taking  out  a  pocket 
compass,  he  showed  it  to  the  Indians,  explained  to  them  its 
wonderful  properties,  and  amused  and  astonished  them  by 
such  ideas  as  he  was  able  to  convey  of  the  system  of  the  uni- 
verse. They  already  believed  him  a  superior  being,  and 
granted  him  the  permission  which  he  desired,  to  send  a  letter 
to  his  friends  at  Jamestown.  The  effect  of  this  letter  made 
him  a  still  greater  object  of  wonder.  He  was  conducted 
through  their  villages,  and  finally  brought  to  the  king,  Pow- 
hatan ;  who,  after  detaining  him  some  time,  would  have  put 
him  to  death,  if  his  daughter,  Pocahontas,  a  child  of  twelve 
years  old,  had  not  rushed  between  him  and  the  executioner, 
and  begged  her  father  to  spare  his  life.  At  her  intercession 
he  was  saved. 

The  Indians  now  sought  to  attach  him  to  themselves,  and 
gain  his  assistance  in  destroying  the  colony ;  but  he  had  suf 
ficient  address  to  induce  them  to  abandon  this  hostile  design, 
and  permit  his  returii.  This  event  was  followed  by  a  better 
understanding,  and  a  more  frequent  intercourse  between  the 
Indians  and  his  countrymen. 

On  his  return  to  Jamestown,  Smith  found  but  forty  of  the 
colonists  alive,  and  a  part  of  these  were  preparing  to  deserl 
with  the  pinnace.  This  he  prevented  at  the  peril  of  his  life. 
Soon  after,  Newport  arrived  with  a  supply  of  provisions  and 
instruments  of  husbandry,  and  a  reinforcement  of  one  hundred 
persons,  composed  of  many  gentlemen,  several  r  ifiners,  gold- 


Wtvdt  discovery  was  attempted  ? 
What  befell  the  party  ? 
How  did  Smith  escape  ? 
Whither  was  he  conducted  ? 
What  prevented  the  Indians  from 
murdering  him  i 


What  events  followed  ? 

What  was  the  condition  of  the  colony 

on  Smith's  return  to  Jamestown  ? 
What  did  he  prevent  ? 
What  relief  ariived  ? 


THE  GOLD  MANIA. 


41 


smiths  and  jewelers,  but  unfortunately  very  few  laborers,  9t 
emigrants  who  were  at  all  adapted  to  aid  in  building  up  the 
colony  by  their  thrift  or  industry.  Ill-chosen,  however^  as 
this  body  of  recruits  was,  the  hopes  of  the  colonists  were 
revived  by  their  seasonable  coming. 

All  seemed  to  be  deluded  by  false  hopes.  Newpoit,  in 
spite  of  the  statements  of  Smith  and  the  declarations  of  the 
Indians  and  their  king  Powhatan,  conceived  the  idea  that 
the  Pacific  Ocean  was  only  a  short  distance  beyond  the  falls 
of  James  river;  and  the  new  settlers  w^ere  possessed  with  but 
one  idea  ;  they  had  come  from  England  to  find  mines  of  gold, 
and  could  not  be  persuaded  that  Viiginia  was  not  rich  in 
the  precious  metal. 

This  delusion  spread  to  the  survivors  of  the  former  colo- 
nists, and  the  quest  of  gold  seemed  far  more  attractive  than 
the  dull  and  laborious  cultivation  of  the  soil. 

Not  long  after  their  arrival,  there  was  unfortunately  dis- 
lovered,  in  a  small  stream  of  water  near  Jamestown,  some 
shining  earth,  which  was  easily  mistaken  for  gold  dust.  This 
was  a  signal  for  abandoning  all  the  profitable  pursuits  of  in- 
dustry, in  the  search  for  gold.  '  There  was  no  thought,'  says 
Stith,  in  his  history,  *  no  discourse,  no  hope,  and  no  work, 
but  to  dig  gold,  wash  gold,  refine  gold,  and  load  gold.  And, 
notwithstanding  Captain  Smith's  warm  and  judicious  repre- 
sentations, how  absurd  it  was  to  neglect  other  things  of  im- 
mediate use  and  necessity,  to  load  such  a  drunken  ship  with 
gilded  dust,  yet  was  he  overruled,  and  her  returns  were  made 
in  a  parcel  of  glittering  dirt,  which  is  to  be  found  in  various 
parts  of  the  country,  and  which  they  very  sanguinely  con- 
eluded  to  be  gold  dust.' 

Finding  himself  unable  to  prevent  this  folly.  Smith  em- 
ployed himself  in  surveying  the  Chesapeake  bay  and  its  tri- 
butary rivers.  The  two  voyages  which  he  made  in  an  open 
boat,  for  this  purpose,  lasted  three  months,  and  embraced  a 
navigation  of  nearly  three  thousand  miles.  The  map  which 
he  delineated  and  sent  to  the  London  company  still  exists, 
and  presents  correctly  the  great  natural  features  of  the  country 
which  he  explored. 

On  his  return,  (Sept.  10,  1608,)  Smith  was  made  presi 
dent  of  the  council,  and  was  performing  the  duties  of  that 
office  with  his  usual  energy  and  good  judgment,  when  New- 
port returned  with  seventy  emigrants,  two  of  whom  were 

What  diverted  the  colonists  from  pro-  [  What  did  he  effect ' 

fitable  industry  ?  To  what  office  was  he  electee  f 

How  did  Smith  employ  himself  ?       i  What  kind  of  emigrants  now  anhred  ' 

4* 


#2 


SECOND  CHARTER  OF  VIRGINIA 


females.  The  mei  were  not  the  description  of  persons  re- 
quired in  a  new  country ;  and  Smith  entreated  the  company 
to  send  him  rather,  *  but  thirty  carpenters,  husbandmen,  gar- 
deners, fishermen,  blacksmiths,  masons,  and  diggers  up  of 
trees'  roots,  than  a  thousand  such  as  they  had. 

After  the  departure  of  the  ships.  Smith  exerted  himself  to 
bring  the  people  into  industrious  habits  ;  requiring  them  to 
work  six  hours  in  the  day ;  but  they  were  still  so  unskilful 
in  agriculture,  that  the  principal  dependence  of  the  colony  foi 
provisions  was  on  the  Indians.  The  number  of  deaths 
during  the  season  was  only  seven,  out  of  a  population  of  two 
hundred. 

The  compan^'  in  England  had  anticipated  great  and  sudden 
wealth  from  the  discovery  of  mines,  as  well  as  from  its  com- 
merce with  India,  w^hich  they  expected  their  ships  to  reach 
by  sailing  up  the  Chesapeake  and  its  tributary  rivers.  Al- 
though disappointed  in  these  sanguine  hopes,  they  were  by 
go  means  discouraged  from  pursuing  their  career  of  adven- 
ture ;  and  in  order  to  increase  their  funds,  their  numbers,  and 
their  privileges,  they  petitioned  for  a  new  charter,  which  was 
granted  on  the  23d  of  May,  1609.  It  was  not  more  favour- 
able to  civil  liberty  than  that  which  it  superseded. 

The  change  which  now  took  place  in  the  constitution  of  the 
colony  was  a  remarkable  one.  The  new  charter  gave  to  the 
company  the  powers  which  had  previously  belonged  to  the 
King.  The  council  in  Virginia  was  abolished.  The  stock- 
nolders  were  allowed  to  choose  the  supreme  council,  resident 
m  England,  and  to  exercise  the  powers  of  legislation  and 
government.  The  governor  was  subject  to  their  instructions, 
but  might  rule  the  colonists  even  in  criminal  and  capital  eases 
without  any  other  controul.  He  might  also  declare  martial 
law,  whenever  he  should  deem  it  necessary  for  the  suppres- 
sion of  mutiny  and  rebellion.  The  people  were  thus  deprived 
of  all  power  of  self  government.  They  were  entirely  at  the 
mercy  of  the  compa^.y  in  London  ;  holding  their  fortunes  and 
their  lives  subject  to  the  controul  of  masters  who  could  be  but 
iimperfectly  acquainted  with  their  condition  and  wants. 

The  territory  of  the  colony  was  extended  by  a  grant  of  all 
the  lands  from  Cape  or  Point  Comfort  along  the  sea  coast, 
two  hundred  miles  to  the  northward,  and  from  the  same  point, 
along  the  sea  coast  two  hundred  miles  to  the  southward,  and 


What  is  observed  of  their  habits  ?  What  were  the  chief  provisioiw  of  the 
What  is  said  of  the  Virginia  company      second  charter  ? 

in  England?  What  extent  of  territory  did  it 
When  did  they  obtain  a  new  charter  ?      grant  ? 


LORD  DELAWAR£. 


49 


up  intep  the  land,  throughout,  from  sea  to  sea  west  and  north- 
west, and  also  all  islands  lying  within  one  hundred  miles  of 
the  coast  of  both  seas.  By  placing  a  pair  of  dividers  over  the 
map  of  the  United  States,  with  one  foot  on  the  coast  two  hun- 
dred miles  south  of  Old  Point  Comfort,  and  the  other  two 
hundred  miles  north  of  the  same  point,  and  drawing  the  in- 
strument across  the  continent  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  one  may 
satisfy  himself  that  the  territory  of  the  Ancient  Dominion  was 
pretty  extensive. 

At  the  time  when  this  charter  was  granted,  the  company 
was  enlarged  by  the  addition  of  some  of  the  first  nobility  ana 
gentry,  most  of  the  companies  in  London,  and  a  great  number 
of  merchants  and  tradesmen  ;  and  they  were  all  incorporated 
by  the  name  of  '  The  Treasurer  and  Company  of  Adventurers 
of  the  City  of  London,  for  the  first  Colony  in  Virginia.' 

The  scheme  of  colonisation  was  now  exceedingly  popular 
m  England.  Great  numbers  of  adventurers  offered  them- 
selves to  the  company;  and  the  highest  enthusiasm  prevailed 
among  all  classes  of  people,  in  favour  of  rendering  the  settle- 
ment permanent  and  effective.  Lord  Delaware  was  consti- 
tuted governor  and  captain-general  for  life,  with  a  retinue  of 
officers  and  attendants,  which  would  have  been  more  suitable 
for  a  viceroy  of  Mexico,  at  a  much  later  period  of  history. 

Nine  ships  and  five  hundred  emigrants  were  soon  ready  foi 
departure ;  and  the  expedition  was  placed  under  the  direction 
of  Captain  Newport ;  who,  with  Sir  Thomas  Gates  and  Sir 
George  Somers,  was  empowered  to  supersede  the  existing 
administration,  and  govern  the  colony  till  the  arrival  of  Lord 
Delaware. 

These  three  gentlemen  embarked  in  the  same  v^essel,  which 
was  parted  from  the  rest  of  the  fleet  and  driven  on  Bermudas 
in  a  storm ;  having  on  board  not  only  the  appointed  directors 
of  the  colony,  but  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  a  great  portion 
)f  the  provisions,  and  the  new  commission  and  instructions 
of  the  council.   The  rest  of  the  fleet  arrived  safely  in  Virginia, 

'  A  great  part  of  the  new  company,'  according  to  the  au- 
thority of  an  old  writer,  *  consisted  of  unruly  sparks,  packed  oflf 
by  their  friends  to  escape  worse  destinies  at  home.    And  th 
rest  were  chiefly  made  up  of  poor  gentlemen,  broken  trades 
men,  footmen,  acid  such  as  were  much  fitter  to  spoil  and  ruii 


What  persons  were  added  to  the 

company  ? 
What  was  its  name  ? 
Who  was  governor  ? 
What  were  to  grove i-a  ii  his  absence  ? 


How  many  emigrants  came  over  ? 
What  befell  the  deputy  governors  ? 
Who  arrived  safely  ? 
What  was  the  character  of  the  nei» 
emigrants  f 


CAPTAIN  SMITH   LEAVES  VIkGINIA. 


a  commonwealth  than  to  help  to  raise  or  maintain  one- 
They  were  led  by  their  seditious  captains  into  many  mischiefs 
and  extravagances.  They  assumed  to  themselves  the  powe* 
of  disposing  of  the  government;  and  conferred  it  sometime^  on 
one,  and  sometimes  on  another.  To-day  the  old  commission 
must  rule,  to-morrow  the  new,  and  next  day  neither.  So  thai 
all  was  anarchy  and  distraction.' 

These  disorders  were  speedily  repressed  by  the  energy  and 
decision  of  Captain  Smith.  He  declared,  very  justly,  tiiat  nis 
own  authority  could  only  terminate  with  the  arrival  of  the  new 
commission,  and  he  therefore  resolved  to  continue  its  exercise. 
He  imprisoned  the  most  active  of  the  seditious  leaders,  and,  to 
rid  Jamestown  of  the  turbulent  rabble  with  which  it  was  crowd- 
ed, he  detached  one  hundred  men  to  the  falls  of  James  river, 
under  the  command  of  West,  and  as  many  more  to  Nanse- 
mond,  under  that  of  Martin.  These  settlers  soon  incurred  the 
hostility  of  the  Indians,  and  were  obliged  to  apply  to  Smith 
for  assistance.  Of  course  it  was  "romptly  rendered.  On  his 
return  from  one  of  his  visits  tc  the  settlement  at  the  falls,  he 
was  so  severely  wounded  by  an  explosion  of  gunpowder,  as 
to  render  it  necessary  for  him  to  proceed  to  England  for  sur- 
gical aid. 

At  his  departure  the  colony  consisted  of  about  five  hundred 
people.  They  possessed  three  ships  and  seven  boats,  com- 
modities suitable  for  the  Indian  trade,  provisions  for  several 
weeks,  an  abundance  of  domestic  animals,  farming  utensib, 
and  fishing  nets,  one  hundred  disciplined  soldiers,  and  twenty- 
four  pieces  of  ordnance,  with  small  arms  and  ammunition. 

This  provision  was  every  way  adequate  for  support  and 
defence,  had  the  prudent  administration  of  Captain  Smith 
continued ;  but  with  him  departed  the  fair  prospects  of  the 
colony.  The  licentious  spirits,  who  had  only  been  restrained 
by  his  energy,  now  rioted  without  controul.  Captain  Percy, 
who  succeeded  him,  was  by  no  means  equal  to  the  task  of 
governing  so  turbulent  a  community,  and  anarchy  soon  pre- 
vailed. 

The  Indians,  no  longer  restrained  by  the  presence  of  Smith, 
became  hostile.  They  attacked  the  settlements  of  West  and 
Martin,  and  compelled  them,  after  losing  their  boats  and  half 
their  men,  to  take  refuge  in  Jamestown.    The  provisions  of 


WTiat  was  their  behaviour  ? 
How  did  Captain  Smith  repress  dis- 
orders ? 
What  befell  him  ? 
Whiint^f  (lid  tie  retir«  •* 


In  what  state  did  he  leave  the  co- 
lony p 

What  ensued  on  Smith's  departure  f 
vVhat  misfortunes  were  the  ccns^ 
quence  of  this  bad  conduct  f 


THE  STARVING  TIME. 


46 


colony  were  exhausted ;  and  famine  ensued,  with  its  a 
endant  horrors  and  crimes.    This  was  the  most  trying  perioA 
in  the  hista  y  of  the  colony,  and  was  for  many  years  after 
distinguished  by  the  name  of  The  Starving  Time, 

Contrasted  with  that  of  the  administration  of  Smith,  the 
history  of  this  season  conveys  a  most  impressive  lesson.  It 
shows  us  that  no  abundance  of  resources  can  supply  the  place 
of  prudence  in  the  management  of  affairs ;  and  that  a  large 
supply  of  provisions,  arms,  and  soldiers  are  not  so  essential 
to  the  preservation  and  welfare  of  a  community  as  a  wise  and 
efficient  government.  The.  commanding  genius  of  Smith  had 
done  move  for  the  establishment  and  continuance  of  the  colony 
than  the  exertions  of  all  the  other  adventurers.  But  he  fought 
and  toiled  only  for  the  community. 

*  Extreme  suffering  from  his  wounds,  and  the  ingratitude 
of  his  employers,'  says  Mr.  Bancroft,  *  were  the  fruits  of 
his  services.  He  received,  for  his  sacrifices  and  his  perilous 
exertions,  not  one  foot  of  land,  not  the  house  he  himself  had 
built,  not  the  field  his  own  hands  had  planted,  nor  any  reward 
but  the  applause  of  his  conscience  and  the  world.  He  merit* 
to  be  called  the  father  of  the  settlement,  which  he  had  re- 
peatedly lescued  from  destruction.  His  judgment  had  ever 
beeii  clear  in  the  midst  of  general  despondency.  He  united 
the  highest  spirit  of  adventure  with  consummate  powers  of 
action.  His  courage  and  self-possession  accomplished  what 
others  esteemed  desperate.  Fruitful  in  expedients,  he  was 
prompt  in  execution.  Though  he  had  been  harassed  by  the 
persecutions  of  malignant  envy,  he  never  revived  the  memory 
of  the  faults  of  his  enemies.  He  was  accustomed  to  lead,  not 
to  send  his  men  to  danger ;  would  suffer  want  rather  than 
borrow,  and  starve  sooner  than  not  pay.  -  He  had  nothing 
counterfeit  in  his  nature  ;  but  was  open,  honest,  and  sincere. 
He  clearly  discerned  that  it  was  the  true  interest  of  England 
not  to  seek  in  Virginia  for  gold  and  sudden  wealth,  but  to 
enforce  regular  industry.  "  Nothing,"  said  he,  "  is  to  be 
expected  thence,  but  by  labour."  ' 

In  six  months  after  the  departure  of  Smith,  the  colony 
was  reduced  by  various  distresses  to  sixty  persons,  who 
would  soon  have  perished,  but  for  the  arrival  of  Sir  Thomas 
Gates,  Sir  George  Somers,  and  Captain  Newport,  from  Ber- 
muda.;  (May  24, 1610  )    All  determined  to  abandon  the  coun 


W\bX  lesson  is  conveyed  by  thi^  |  To  what  number  was  the  colony  ro- 

farta  ?  |     duced  ? 

<7])»,t      Captain  Smith's  chara£ter     What  did  they  resolv^e  to  (to  ' 


^6 


ARRIVAL  OF  LORD  DELAWARE 


try,  and  they  accordingly  embarked  on  board  the  vessels  and 
sailed  for  England.  As  they  drew  near  the  mouth  of  the 
river  they  were  met  by  the  long-boat  of  Lord  Delaware,  who 
Lad  arrived  on  the  coast,  with  a  reinforcement  of  emigrants 
and  abundant  supplies  of  provisions.  They  immediately 
returned  to  Jamestown,  and  were  prevailed  on  by  Lord  Dela- 
ware to  remain. 

This  nobleman  was  well  qualified  for  his  station.  Hii 
mildness,  dignity,  and  diligent  attention  to  business,  soon 
restored  order,  and  inspired  confidence.  The  colonists  were 
regular  and  industrious  ;  and  the  Indians  were  taught  once 
more  to  respect  the  English  character. 

His  wise  administration  was  of  short  continuance.  Ill 
health  compelled  him  to  relinquish  the  government ;  and 
having  resigned  his  authority  to  Mr.  Percy,  he  sailed  for  the 
West  Indies.  Although  he  left  the  colony  in  a  flourishing 
state,  yet,  on  the  10th  of  May,  1611,  when  Sir  Thomas  Dale 
the  new  governor,  arrived  with  a  fresh  supply  of  men  and 
provisions,  he  found  it  relapsing  into  its  former  state  of  idle- 
ness, disorder,  and  want.  He  was  obliged  to  resort  to  the 
declaration  of  martial  law  in  order  to  save  the  settlement  from 
utter  anarchy  and  ruin. 

In  the  month  of  August,  1611,  Sir  Thomas  Gates,  who 
had  been  appointed*the  successor  of  Sir  Thomas  Dale,  arrived 
with  six  ships,  three  hundred  emigrants,  and  a  plentiful  sup- 
ply of  provisions.  On  receiving  this  reinforcement,  which 
increased  the  numbers  of  the  colony  to  sevea  hundred,  de- 
tachments were  again  sent  up  the  James  river,  and  several 
new  settlements  were  made. 

A  more  important  change  took  place  in  the  new  arrange- 
ments with  respect  to  property.  Hitherto  the  land  had  been 
possessed  by  all  the  colonists  in  common.  Every  man  was 
required  to  work  a  certain  number  of  hours  in  the  day,  and 
all  shared  equally  the  produce.  Now  a  few  acres  of  ground 
were  assigned  to  each  man,  as  his  private  property,  to  plant 
as  an  orchard  or  garden  for  his  own  use,  though  some  labour 
vfSLS  still  devoted  to  fill  the  public  stores.  This  new  regula- 
tion gave  a  powerful  impulse  to  industry  and  enterprise ;  and 


How  was  this  prevented  f 

Whai  was  Lord  Delaware's  character? 

H'w  did  he  govern  ? 

Who  succeeded  him  ? 

Who  superseded  Percy  f 

What  obliged  him  to  declare  martial 


Who  succeeded  Dale  ? 

When  did  Gates  arrive  ? 

What  reinforcement  did  he  being  ? 

What  new  regulation  r  f  pwperjty 

made  ? 
What  wzs  its  eS£C  i 


MARRiAOfi  Ot  POCkitOMAS. 


41 


the  best  effects  were  soon  perceived  to  flow  from  assigning 
to  each  individual  the  fruits  of  his  own  labour.  Industry, 
impelled  by  the  certainty  of  recompense,  advanced  with  rapid 
strides  ;  and  the  inhabitants  were  no  longer  in  fear  of  wanting 
bread,  either  for  themselves  or  for  the  emigrants  from  Eng- 
land. 

In  consequence  of  the  extravagant  accounts  which  had  been 
Bent  to  England  of  the  fertility  of  Bermudas,  the  company 
became  anxious  to  include  it  within  the  colony ;  and  accord- 
ingly a  new  patent  was  issued  comprehending  this  island. 
This  was  a  matter  of  trifling  importance,  as  the  connexion 
soon  ceased  ;  but  the  new  patent  conferred  new  civil  rights 
it  established  four  general  courts,  comprising  all  the  members 
of  the  London  corporation,  to  be  assembled  annually,  at  which 
all  oflficers  should  be  elected,  and  all  laws  passed  relating  to 
the  government,  commerce,  and  real  estate  of  the  colony 
Weekly  or  more  frequent  meetings  might  be  convened  for  the 
transaction  of  ordinary  business.  This  change,  of  course, 
have  no  political  power  to  the  colonists  themselves. 

Lotteries,  the  first  ever  drawn  in  England,  were  granted  for 
the  benefit  of  the  colony.  They  brought  twenty-nine  thou- 
sand pounds  into  the  treasury  of  the  company ;  but  were  soon 
abolished  as  a  public  evil. 

About  this  time  (1614)  an  event  took  place  which  has 
always  been  regarded  with  great  interest  by  the  Virginians. 
This  was  the  marriage  of  Pocahontas.  The  circumstances 
which  led  to  it  were  these :  A  party  from  Jamestown,  headed 
by  Argall,  went  with  two  vessels  round  to  the  Potomac  for  a 
cargo  of  corn.  While  obtaining  the  cargo,  Argall  managed 
to  decoy  Pocahontas  on  board  his  vessel,  where  she  was  de- 
tained respectfully,  and  brought  to  Jamestown.  By  keeping 
possession  of  his  favourite  child  as  a  hostage,  the  English 
hoped  to  dictate  to  Powhatan  what  terms  of  alliance  or  sub- 
mission they  pleased.  In  this  they  were  disappointed. 
*  Powhatan,'  says  Marshall,  *  offered  corn  and  friendship,  if 
they  would  restore  his  daughter,  but  with  a  loftiness  of  spirit 
which  claims  respect,  rejected  every  proposition  for  concilia* 
tion  which  should  not  be  preceded  by  that  act  of  reparation. 

While  she  was  detained  at  Jamestown,  Mr.  John  Rolfe,  a 
foung  Englishman,  gained  the  favour  of  the  princess,  an«i 


What  caused  the  granting  of  a  new 
patent  to  the  Virginia  company  ? 

What  new  rights  did  it  grant  ? 

for  what  purpose  were  lotteries  first 
4MUibli»^ed  in  Kdgland  ^ 


Why  were  they  established  ? 
What  event  took  place  in  1614  ? 
How  did  it  happen  ? 
Who  wa8  PocaloDtas's  kuslMid? 


48  TOBACCO  FIRST  CULTIVATED  IN  VIRGINIA. 


esired  her  in  marriage.  Powhatan  consented,  and  with  his 
aughter  the  noble-spirited  prince  gave  his  heart.  He  was 
ever  after  the  firm  and  sincere  friend  of  the  colony.  The 
powerful  tribe  of  the  Ghickahominies  also  '  sought  the  friend- 
ship of  the  English,  and  demanded  to  be  called  English- 
men.' 

Though  the  marriage  of  Pocahontas  was  hailed  as  an 
auspicious  event  at  the  time,  and  has  always  been  celebrated 
in  the  annals  of  the  colony,  it  never  operated  as  an  example. 
The  English  and  Indians  would  not  intermarry,  and  the  races 
have  always  remained  distinct. 

It  was  in  1613  that  the  famous  expedition  of  Argall  took 
place,  which  seems  to  have  been  prompted  by  a  determina- 
tion on  the  part  of  the  English  to  assert  their  claim  to  the 
whole  coast  of  America  north  of  Virginia.  In  a  time  of  pro- 
found peace,  Argall  sailed  from  Jamestown  to  Acadia,  (Nova 
Scotia,)  and  surprised  the  small  colony  at  Port  Royal  on  the 
bay  of  Fundy,  This  was  the  oldest  French  settlement  in 
North  America,  having  been  founded,  as  we  have  already 
observed,  in  1605.  He  found  the  inhabitants  engaged  in 
theii  peaceful  occupations,  and  in  amity  with  the  natives 
They  . were,  of  course,  totally  unprepared  for  defence,  and 
could  not  prevent  Argall  from  seizing  the  ships  and  plunder- 
ing the  colony.  This  was  the  first  act  of  aggression  ;  which 
was  followed  by  a  series  of  disputes  between  France  and 
England  for  the  possession  of  the  Ameiican  soil.  After 
Argall  had  sailed,  the  French  returned  to  their  settlement. 

Argall,  on  his  return,  went  into  New  York,  then  called 
New  Amsterdam,  where  the  Dutch  had  established  a  small 
colony,  and  by  a  show  of  superior  force  compelled  the  Dutch 
governor  to  submit  *  himself  and  his  colony  to  the  King  of 
England,  and  the  governor  of  Virginia  under  him,'  and  to 
consent  to  the  payment  of  a  tribute.  Argall  then  returned  t6 
Jamestown.  The  tribute  and  homage,  however,  were  both 
refused  when  a  new  governor  had  arrived  from  Holland  with 
better  means  of  defence. 

The  culture  of  tobacco  was  now,  for  the  first  time,  becom- 
mg  an  object  of  attention.  Although  the  use  of  it  was 
strongly  opposed  by  the  company,  and  by  King  James  I 

ho  went  so  far  as  to  write  a  book  against  it ;  and  although 
effects  of  it  were  always  unpleasant,  ^t  first,  to  person! 
accustomed  to  it,  tobacco  has  surmounted  ail  opposition 

Mr.  Rolfe's  example  foUowed  ?    What  did  he  accomplisL  in  AeadU 
n  did  ArgalPy  expedition  take   In  New  York  } 
}titm  i  What  ii  said  of  tobacco  f 


lYRANNY  OF  AROALL 


and  become  a  regular  article  of  commerce  and  consumption 
throughout  the  world. 

In  1614,  Sir  Thomas  Gates  had  been  succeeded  by  Sii 
Thomas  Dale,  who  sailed  for  England  in  1616,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Mr.  George  Yeardley.  His  term  of  office  lasted 
but  one  year,  and  he  was  then  succeeded  by  Captain  Argall, 
an  able,  but  avaricious  and  tyrannical  governor.  He  conti- 
aued  martial  law  in  time  of  peace ;  and,  naving  sentencer; 
IVIr  Brewster  to  death  for  contumely,  gave  occasion  to  the 
first  appeal  ever  made  from  America  to  England.  It  came 
before  the  London  company  by  whom  the  sentence  of  Argall 
was  reversed. 

The  following  extract  from  Judge  Marshall's  history  shows 
the  arbitrary  and  vexatious  nature  of  the  laws  which  this 
governor  enforced  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet : 

*  While  martial  law  was,  according  to  Stith,  the  common 
law  of  the  land,  the  governor  seems  to  have  been  the  sole 
legislator.  His  general  edicts  mark  the  severity  of  his  rule 
He  ordered  that  merchandise  should  be  sold  at  an  advance  of 
Iwenty-tive  per  centum,  and  tobacco  taken  in  payment  at  the 
rate  of  three  shillings  per  pound,  under  the  penalty  of  three 
years'  servitude  to  the  company  ;  that  no  person  should  traffic 
privately  with  the  Indians,  or  teach  them  the  use  of  fire-arms, 
under  pain  of  death  ;  that  no  person  should  hunt  deer  or  hogs 
without  the  governor's  permission  ;  that  no  man  should  shoot, 
unless  in  his  own  necessary  defence,  until  a  new  supply  ol 
ammunition  should  arrive,  on  pain  of  a  year's  personal  ser 
vice  ;  that  none  should  go  on  board  the  ships  at  Jamestown 
without  the  governor's  leave  ;  that  every  person  should  go  to 
church  on  Sundays  and  holidays,  under  the  penalty  of  slavery 
during  the  following  week  for  the  first  oflfence,  during  a  month 
for  the  second,  and  during  a  year  and  a  day  for  the  third* 
The  rigour  of  this  administration  necessarily  exciting  much 
discontent,  the  complaints  of  the  Virginians  at  length  made 
their  way  to  the  company.  Lord  Delaware  being  dead,  Mr. 
Yeardley  was  appointed  captain-general,  with  instructions  to 
examine  the  wrongs  of  the  colonists,  and  to  redress  them.' 


Wh )  became  governor  in  1616  ?        I  How  did  he  govern  f 

Who  was  his  successor  ?  |  By  whom  was  he  superseded  ^ 


60 


VIRGINIA  ACaUIR£S  CIVIL  FR££DUJB. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

VIRGINIA  ACQUIRES  CIVIL  FREEDOM. 

The  new  governor  arrived  in  April,  1619;  and  began  his 
administration  by  granting  privileges  of  great  importance  U 
the  colonists.  He  abolished  the  practice  of  labournig  foj 
the  common  stock  of  the  colony,  a  most  inconvenient  and 
onerous  method  of  raising  a  revenue ;  he  confirmed  the  early 
planters  in  the  possession  of  their  estates ;  he  removed  the 
burdens  imposed  by  the  tyrannical  Argall ;  and  he  abolished 
martial  law. 

By  order  of  the  London  company,  the  power  of  the  go- 
vernor was  limited  by  a  council,  which  acquired  the  right  to 
redress  any  wrongs  which  he  might  commit.  Last  and 
greatest  of  all,  the  people  of  the  colony  were  admitted  to 
a  share  in  legislation  by  the  institution  of  a  colonial  as- 
sembly. 

The  first  colonial  assembly  ever  convened  in  America 
assembled  at  Jamestown  on  the  19th  of  June,  1619.  This 
may,  therefore,  be  considered  the  birth-day  of  civil  freedom 
in  our  country. 

The  members  were  elected  by  the  different  boroughs,  and 
the  representative  or  popular  branch  of  the  legislature  was, 
therefore,  called  the  house  of  burgesses,  a  name  which  i« 
letained  so  long  as  Virginia  remained  a  colony  of  England. 

The  entire  legislature  or  assembly,  composed  of  the  go- 
vernor, the  council,  and  the  burgesses,  met  together  in  one 
apartment,  and  there  transacted  the  public  business  of  the 
colony.  The  laws  which  they  then  enacted  were  sent  to 
England  for  the  approbation  of  the  London  company. 

Hitherto  but  a  small  number  of  females  had  emigrated  to 
Virginia.  The  colonists,  therefore,  could  hardly  be  said  to 
have  their  home  in  the  country.  Those  domestic  ties,  which 
attach  men  most  firmly  to  the  soil  they  inhabit,  did  not  exist , 
and  each  man  directed  his  thoughts  towards  the  mother  couti 
try  as  the  retreat  of  his  old  age.  A  new  siate  of  things  now 
ensued  by  the  arrival  of  a  large  number  of  females,  ninety 


Wnat  new  privileges  did  Yeardley 
grant  ? 

W^at  T?a8  ordered  by  ~ie  London 

compar^y  ? 
What  wad  tbe  greatest  of  aU  ? 


When  did  the  first  colonxal  assembly 
meet  ? 

How  were  the  members  elected  f 
Who  sanctioned  their  laws  f 
What  gave  the  Virginians  homsf? 


THE  VIRGINIANS  ACQUIRE  CIVIL  FREEDOM.  6 

of  wliom  were  sent  out  from  England  in  1620,  and  sixt^ 
more  the  next  year.  Being  persons  of  irreproachable  charac- 
ter, they  were  married  by  the  planters ;  and  the  colony  thug 
acquired  the  best  of  all  guarantees  of  permanence  in  its  insti- 
tutions and  patriotism  in  its  citizens. 

The  necessity  of  establishing  seminaries  of  learning  was 
now  apparent,  and  preparations  were  made  for  founding  the 
college  afterwards  established  by  William  and  Mary. 

About  the  mme  time  one  hundred  convicts  were  trans 
ported  from  England  to  Virginia,  being  the  first  persons  of 
fliis  class  sent  to  America  by  order  of  the  government.  Re- 
moved from  the  temptations  which  had  been  too  strong  fo 
their  virtue  at  home,  and  placed  in  a  new  scene  of  action 
many  of  them  became  honest  men  and  useful  citizens. 

The  colonial  assembly  convened  by  Sir  George  Yeardley 
had  not  yet  received  the  express  sanction  of  the  London 
company.  This  was  granted  July  24th,  1621,  oy  an  ordi- 
nance which  may  be  considered  as  the  written  constitution 
of  the  colony.  It  was  the  model  on  which,  with  some 
modifications,  the  political  systems  of  the  other  colonies  were 
founded.  It  provided  for  the  appointment  of  a  governor  and 
a  permanent  council  by  the  company ;  it  ordained  a  general 
assembly,  consisting  of  this  council,  and  two  burgesses  from 
each  borough  to  be  elected  by  the  people,  with  power  to 
enact  laws  subject  to  the  veto  of  the  governor  and  the  ratifica- 
tion of  the  company  in  England.  Orders  of  the  court  in 
London  were  not  to  be  binding  on  the  colony  unless  ratified 
by  the  general  assembly — a  very  important  concession.  The 
trial  by  jury,  and  the  other  judicial  rights  of  Englishmen, 
were  also  granted  to  the  colonists.  This  constitution  was 
brought  over  by  Sir  Francis  Wyatt,  who  had  been  appointed 
to  succeed  governor  Yeardley. 

Thus  the  Virginians  had  acquired  civil  freedom.  The 
-ights,  secured  by  this,  their  fourth  charter,  were  sufficient  to 
form  the  basis  of  complete  political  liberty.  Representative 
government  and  trial  by  jury  are  justly  regarded  as  the  ele- 
ments of  freedom ;  and  when  a  community  has  acquired 
these,  its  future  destinies  depend,  in  great  measure,  on  the 
rirtue,  intelligence,  and  patriotism  of  its  citizens. 


What  provision  for  education  was 
made  ? 

WTiat  new  species  of  population  ar- 
rived ? 

When  were  colonial  assemblies  sanc- 
tioued  hy  the  London  company  ? 


What  were  the  pro  visions  of  the  ordi 
nance  ? 

Who  succeeded  Feardley  ? 

What  had  the  Virginians  now  ac- 
quired ? 


52 


THE  INDIANS. 


The  year  1620,  so  fruitful  in  interesting  events,  was,markea 
by  one  which  will  long  exert  a  momentous  influence  on  oui 
destinies.  This  was  the  introduction  of  negro  slavery.  The 
commerce  of  Virginia,  which  had  before  been  entirely  mono- 
polised by  the  London  company,  was  now  thrown  open  to 
free  competition ;  and  in  the  month  of  August,  a  Dutch  man 
of  war  sailed  up  the  James  river,  and  landed  twenty  negroes, 
for  the  purpose  of  having  them  sold  into  slavery.  Although 
domestic  slavery  was  thus  introduced  into  the  colony,  its 
increase  was  very  slow  ;  the  traffic  in  slaves  was  almost 
entirely  confined  to  the  Dutch ;  and  laws  of  the  colony  dis- 
couraged its  progress  by  taxation. 

At  this  period  the  colony  was  in  a  highly  flourishing  state. 
Tne  inhabitants  enjoyed  civil  rights,  free  commerce,  peace, 
and  domestic  happiness.  The  cultivation  of  tobacco  and 
cotton,  hereafter  to  become  so  important  to  the  southern 
country,  had  already  been  introduced ;  and  the  Indians,  their 
most  powerful  neighbours,  were  their  friends  and  allies. 
Indeed  the /  had  never  regarded  the  Indians  with  much  ap- 
prehension. They  were  not  supposed  to  be  very  numerous, 
only  five  thousand  souls  or  fifteen  hundred  warriors  being 
found  within  sixty  miles  of  Jamestown ;  and  the  use  of  fire- 
arms by  the  English  had  enabled  fifteen  of  them,  headed  by 
Smith,  to  put  to  flight  seven  hundred  of  the  savages.  They 
were  therefore  regarded  with  contempt;  and  no  care  was 
taken  to  preserve  their  friendship,  or  guard  against  their 
enmity.  A  law,  which  had  made  it  penal  to  instruct  them  in 
the  use  of  fire-arms,  had  become  a  dead  letter. 

Security  is  too  often  the  parent  of  danger.  In  the  present 
instance,  it  was  the  cause  of  a  terrible  calamity.  The  Indians 
had  secretly  become  hostile  to  the  colonists.  Powhatan,  the 
old  king,  had  died  in  1618;  and  his  son,  Oppaconcanough, 
did  not  inherit  the  friendly  dispositions  of  his  father.  A 
deliberate  plan  was  concerted  for  annihilating  the  colony  at  a 
blow,  and  it  nearly  succeeded. 

The  story  is  thus  told  by  an  old  writer : 

*  Upon  the  loss  of  one  of  their  leading  men,  (a  war  captain, 
as  they  call  him,)  who  was  supposed  to  be  justly  put  to  death, 
however,  their  king,  Oppaconcanough,  appeared  enraged,  and 
in  revenge  laid  the  plot  of  a  general  massacre  of  the  English 


How  was  slavery  introduced  into  What  is  said  of  the  Indians  f 

Virginia  ?  Of  a  law  concerning  them  P 

Did  it  increase  rapidly  ?  What  was  theij*  disposition  f 

Was  it  encouraged  ?  What  plan  did  they  form  ? 
What  was  the  state  of  tlM  eolonj  ? 


4 


TIIE   GREAT  IKASSACRK. 


53 


to  be  execL  cd  on  the  22d  of  March,  1622,  a  little  before 
Kioon,  at  a  time  when  our  men  were  all  at  work  abroad  in 
their  plantations,  dispersed  and  unarmed.  This  conspiracy 
was  to  have  taken  effect  upon  all  the  several  settlements  at 
one  and  the  same  instant,  except  on  the  eastern  shore,  whither 
this  plot  did  not  reach.  The  Indians  had  been  made  so 
familiar  with  the  English  as  to  borrow  their  boats  and  canoes 
to  cross  the  river,  when  they  went  to  consult  with  theix 
neighbouring  Indians  upon  this  execrable  conspiracy ;  and  to 
colour  their  designs  the  better,  they  brought  presents  of  deer^ 
turkeys,  fish,  and  fruits,  to  the  English,  the  evening  before. 
The  very  morning  of  the  massacre,  they  came  freely  and 
jnarmed  among  them,  eating  with  them,  and  behaving  them- 
selves with  the  same  freedom  and  friendship  as  formerly,  till 
the  very  minute  they  were  to  put  their  plot  in  execution  ; 
then  they  fell  to  work  all  at  once,  every  where  surprising  and 
knocking  the  Enghsh  on  the  head,,  some  with  their  hatchets, 
which  they  call  tomakawks,  others  with  the  hoes  and  axes  of 
the  English  themselves,  shooting  at  those  who  escaped  the 
reach  of  their  hands ;  sparing  neither  age  nor  sex,  but  de- 
stroying man,  woman,  and  child,  according  to  their  cruel  way 
of  leaving  none  behind  to  resent  the  outrage.  But  whatever 
was  not  done  by  surprise  that  day,  was  left  undone,  and  many 
that  made  early  resistance  escaped. 

'  By  the  account  taken  of  the  Christians  murdered  that 
morning,  they  were  found  to  be  three  hundred  and  forty- 
seven,  most  of  them  falling  by  their  own  instruments  and 
working  tools. 

'  The  massacre  had  been  much  more  general  had  not  this 
plot  been  providentially  discovered  to  the  English  some  hours 
before  the  execution.    It  happened  thus  : — 

*  Two  Indians,  that  used  to  be  employed  by  the  English  to 
nunt  for  them,  happened  to  lie  together  the  night  before  the 
massacre  in  an  Englishman's  house,  where  one  of  tliem  was 
employed.  The  Indian  that  was  the  guest,  fell  to  persuading 
the  other  to  rise  and  kill  his  master,  telling  him  that  he  would 
do  the  same  by  his  own  the  next  day  ;  whereupon  he  dis- 
covered the  whole  plot  that  was  designed  to  be  executed  on 
the  morrow.  But  the  other,  instead  of  entering  into  the  plot 
and  murdering  his  master,  got  up,  (under  pretence  of  going 
to  execute  his  comrade's  advice,)  went  into  his  master^s 
chamber  and  revealed  to  him  the  whole  story  that  he  had 
been  told.    The  master  hereupon  arose,  secured  his  owb 


tfow  wzM  it  executed  ? 


I  What  prevented  its  complete  6ac<ai3ifi? 


14 


THE  GREAT  MASSACRE. 


oouse,  and  before  day  got  to  Jamestown,  which,  together 
with  such  plantations  as  could  receive  notice  time  enough 
were  saved  by  this  means ;  the  rest,  also,  who  happened  to 
be  watchful  in  their  defence,  escaped.  Captain  Croshaw,  in 
his  vessel  at  Pawtomack,  had  notice  given  him  by  a  young 
Indian,  by  which  means  he  came  off  untouched. 

*The  occasion  of  Oppaconcanough's  furious  resentment 
was  this  :  The  war  captain,  mentioned  before  to  have  been 
killed,  was  called  Nemattanow.  He  was  an  active  Indian,  a 
great  warrior,  and  in  much  esteem  among  them  ;  insomuch 
that  they  believed  him  to  be  invulnerable  and  immortal, 
because  he  had  been  in  many  conflicts,  and  escaped  untouched 
from  them  all.  He  was  also  a  very  cunning  fellow,  and  took 
great  pride  in  preserving  and  increasing  this  their  superstition 
concerning  him ;  affecting  every  thing  that  was  odd  and 
prodigious  to  work  up^m  their  admiration  :  for  which  purpose 
he  would  often  dress  himself  up  with  feathers,  after  a  fantastic 
manner,  and  by  much  use  of  that  ornament,  obtained  among 
the  English  the  nickname  of  Jack  of  the  Feather. 

*  This  Nemattanow,  coming  to  a  private  settlement  of  one 
Morgan,  who  had  several  toys,  he  had  a  mind  to  persuade 
him  to  go  to  Pamunky  to  dispose  of  them.  He  gave  him 
hopes  what  mighty  bargains  he  might  meet  with  there,  and 
Kindly  oflTered  him  his  assistance.  At  last  Morgan  yielded  to 
his  persuasion,  but  was  no  more  heard  of ;  and  it  is  believed 
that  Nemattanow  killed  him  by  the  way,  and  took  away  his 
treasure  ;  for,  within  a  few  days,  this  Nemattanow  returned 
to  the  same  house  with  Morgan's  cap  upon  his  head,  where 
he  found  two  sturdy  boys,  who  asked  for  their  master,  and 
would  have  had  him  before  a  justice  of  the  peace,  but  he 
refused  to  go,  and  very  insolently  abused  them  ;  whereupon 
they  shot  him  down,  and  as  they  were  carrying  him  to  the 
governor,  he  died. 

*  As  he  was  dying,  he  earnestly  pressed  the  boys  to  promise 
him  two  things  :  1st,  that  they  would  not  tell  how  he  was 
killed;  and,  2dly,  that  they  would  bury  him  among  the 
English.  So  great  was  the  pride  of  this  vain  infidel,  that  he 
had  no  other  views  but  the  being  esteemed  after  his  death  (aa 
he  had  endeavoured  to  be  while  he  was  alive)  invulnerable 
and  immortal,  though  his  increasing  faintness  sufficiently  con- 
vinced him  of  tha  falsity  of  both.  He  imagined,  that  being 
buried  among  the  English,  perhaps,  might  conceal  his  death 
from  his  own  nation,  who  might  think  him  translated  to  soma 


W\mt  WM  tiM  caofe  of  the  Indian  kinf^'i  hostiU^/ 


INDIAN  WAR. 


6ft 


happier  country.  Thus  he  pleased  himself  to  the  last  gasp 
with  the  boys'  promises  to  carry  on  the  delusion.  The 
killing  this  Indian  champion  was  all  the  provocation  given  to 
that  haughty  and  revengeful  man,  Oppaconcanough,  to  act 
this  bloody  tragedy,  and  to  take  such  indefatigable  pains  to 
engage  in  such  horrid  villany  all  the  kings  and  nations  bor- 
dering upon  the  English  settlement  on  the  western  shore  of 
Chesapeake.' 

The  effects  of  this  massacre  were  highly  disastrous  to  the 
colony.  It  restricted  the  pursuits  of  agriculture,  and  occa- 
sioned the  abandonment  of  most  of  the  settlements,  so  that 
from  eighty  they  were  reduced  to  six  or  seven  in  number. 
Sickness  was  the  consequence  of  crowding  many  people  into 
a  few  small  settlements,  and  some  of  the  colonists  were  so  faf 
discouraged  as  to  return  to  England. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

INDIAN  WAR — DISSOLUTION  OF  THW  LONDON  COMPANY, 

This  treachery  of  the  Indians  was  terribly  revenged.  The 
whole  people  were  intent  on  the  means  of  destroying  so 
merciless  an  enemy.  The  men  took  arms.  A  war  of  exter- 
mination was  commenced  against  the  Indians,  in  which 
neither  old  nor  young  were  spared.  That  elegant  historian, 
Dr.  Robertson,  thus  describes  this  relentless  war : 

'  The  conduct  of  the  Spaniards,  in  the  southern  regions  of 
America,  was  openly  proposed  as  the  most  proper  model  to 
imitate  ;  and  regardless,  like  them,  of  those  principles  of 
faith,  honour,  and  humanity,  which  regulate  hostility  among 
civilised  nations,  and  set  bounds  to  its  rage,  the  English 
deemed  every  thing  allowable  that  tended  to  accomplish  their 
design.  They  hunted  the  Indians  like  wild  beasts  rather 
than  enemies  ;  and  as  the  pursuit  of  them  to  their  places  of 
retreat  in  the  woods,  which  covered  their  country,  was  both 
difficult  and  dangerous,  ihey  endeavoured  to  allure  them  from 
their  inaccessible  fastness  by  offers  of  peace  and  promises  of 
oblivion,  made  with  such  an  artful  appearance  of  sincerity  as 
deceived  their  crafty  leader,  and  induced  them  to  return  to 


to  what  number  were  the  settle-  |  How  was  ,he  treachei  y  of  the 
ments  reduced  ?  revenged  ? 


DISSOLUTION  OF  THE  LONDuN  COMPANY 


their  former  settlements,  and  resume  their  usua^  peaceful 
occupations.  (1623.)  The  behaviour  of  the  two  }  eople 
geemed  now  to  be  perfectly  reversed.  The  Indians,  like 
men  acquainted  with  the  principles  of  integrity  and  good 
faith,  on  which  the  intercourse  between  nations  is  founded, 
confided  in  the  reconciliation,  and  lived  in  absolute  security 
without  suspicion  of  danger ;  while  the  English,  with  perfidious 
craft,  were  preparing  to  imitate  savages  in  their  revenge  and 
cruelty.  On  the  approach  of  harvest,  when  they  knew  a 
hostile  attack  would  be  most  formidable  and  fatal,  they  fell 
suddenly  upon  all  the  Indian  plantations,  murdered  every 
person  on  whom  they  could  lay  hold,  and  drove  the  rest  to 
the  woods,  where  so  many  perished  with  hunger,  that  some 
of  the  tribes  nearest  to  the  English  were  totally  extirpated. 
This  atrocious  deed,  which  the  perpetrators  laboured  to 
represent  as  a  necessary  act  of  retaliation,  was  followed  by 
some  happy  effects.  It  delivered  the  colony  so  entirely  from 
any  dread  of  the  Indians,  that  its  settlements  began  again  to 
extend,  and  its  industry  to  revive.' 

While  these  events  were  passing  in  Virginia,  the  London 
company  was  rapidly  hastening  towards  its  final  dissolution. 
This  body  had  become  quite  numerous,  and  its  meetings  fur 
nished  occasion  for  discussions  on  government  and  legislation, 
which  were  by  no  means  pleasing  to  so  arbitrary  a  sovereign 
as  King  James  I.  Having  sought  in  vain  to  give  the  court 
party  the  ascendency  in  the  company,  he  began  to  charge  the 
disasters  and  the  want  of  commercial  success  in  the  colony  to 
the  mismanagement  of  the  corporation. 

Commissioners  were  appointed  by  the  privy  council  to  in* 
quire  into  the  affairs  of  Virginia  from  its  earliest  settlement. 
These  commissioners  seized  the  charters,  books,  and  papers 
of  the  company,  and  intercepted  all  letters  from  the  colony. 
Their  report  was  unfavourable  to  the  corporation,  who  were 
accordingly  summoned,  by  the  king,  to  surrender  their  charter 
This  being  declined,  the  cause  was  brought  before  the  court 
of  king's  bench,  and  decided  against  them.  The  company 
was  dissolved,  and  its  powers  reverted  to  the  king. 

More  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  pounds  sterling 
had  been  expended  on  the  colony,  and  nine  thousand  emi- 
grants had  been  sent  out  to  people  it ;  yet  the  annual  imports 


Wliat  was  the  state  of  the  colony 

after  this  ? 
What  rendered  James  I  aostile  to  the 

jU>iKlo£  company  ^ 


Relate  the  circumstances  of  its  dis 
solution. 

What  had  the  colony  cost  the  eoui' 
panv  i 


PROGRESS  or  CIVIL  FREEDOM. 


57 


from  it  did  not  exceed  twenty  thousand  pounds,  and  the  num- 
Der  of  inhabitants  was  only  eighteen  hundred. 

While  the  controversy  between  the  king  and  the  company 
was  going  forward,  the  colonists  were  continuing  to  exercise 
the  right  of  self-government.  The  general  assembly  met  in 
February,  1624.  Their  most  important  act  was  a  solemn 
declaration  *  that  the  governor  should  not  impose  any  taxes 
on  the  colony,  otherwise  than  by  authority  of  the  genera, 
assembly ;  and  that  he  should  not  withdraw  the  inhabitant! 
from  their  private  labour  to  any  service  of  his  own.'  Other 
Hieasures,  for  the  protection  of  the  colonists  against  arbitrary 
power,  were  passed  ;  and  *  the  laws  of  that  session  generally,' 
gays  Judge  Marshall,  *  are  marked  with  that  good  sense  and 
patriotism  which  are  to  be  expected  from  men  perfectly  un- 
derstanding their  own  situation,  and  legislating  for  themselves.* 

They  resisted  the  attempt  of  the  royal  commissioners  to 
extort  from  them  a  declaration  of  unlimited  submission  to  the 
king ;  but  transmitted  a  petition  to  him  praying  for  a  confir- 
mation of  the  civil  rights  then  enjoyed,  together  with  the  sole 
importation  of  tobacco.  They  also  petitioned  to  have  the 
direction  of  any  military  force  which  the  king  might  station 
in  the  country.  All  the  acts  of  this  assembly  indicate  a 
remarkable  progress  of  the  colonists  in  the  knowledge  and 
appreciation  of  their  civil  rights. 

King  James  I  was  not  disposed  to  yield  up  a  second  time 
.he  unlimited  controul  of  the  colony.  He  issued  a  special 
commission,  appointing  a  governor  and  twelve  councillors,  to 
whom  the  entire  direction  of  the  affairs  of  the  province  was 
committed.  He  did  not  recognise  the  assembly  as  a  part  of 
the  government ;  but  attributing  the  late  disasters  to  the  in- 
fluence of  that  body,  he  determined  on  its  discontinuance. 
He  granted  to  Virginia  and  the  Somers  Isles  (Bermudas)  the 
exclusive  right  of  importing  tobacco  into  England  and  Ireland, 
as  had  been  desired,  but  totally  disregarded  the  wishes  of  the 
colonists  respecting  the  continuance  of  their  civil  freedom. 
His  death  prevented  the  completior  of  a  code  of  laws  in 
which  he  proposed  to  carry  out  his  favourite  principles  of 
government. 

Charles  I  inherited  the  arbitrary  disposition  and  despotic 
principles  of  his  father.  He  appears,  however,  to  have  at- 
tached very  little  importance  to  the  political  condition  of  the 


What  did  it  prDducc  ?  What  was  done  by  the  king  ? 

What  is  said  of  the  general  assembly  ?  What  prevented  his  completing  hif 
Of  their  acts  ?  ^     arbitrary  designs  ? 


58 


I^£3IONS  OF  CHARLES  I. 


Virginians  His  principal  aim  was  to  derive  profit  from  their 
industry.  He  neither  granted  nor  restricted  franchises  ;  but 
his  firsst  act  was  to  confirm  the  exclusive  trade  in  tobacco  to 
Virginia  and  the  Somers  Isles,  aud  his  next  was  to  proclaim 
himself,  '  through  his  agents,  the  sole  factor  of  the  planters.' 

Sir  George  Yeardley  was  the  successor  of  governor  Wyatt. 
(1626.)  The  assemblies  were,  of  course,  continued  undei 
the  administration  of  the  man  who  had  first  introduced  them. 
The  king  did  not  disturb  the  Virginians  in  the  exercise  of  this 
important  civil  right.  Emigrants  continued  to  arrive  in  great 
numbers,  and  the  agriculture  and  commerce  of  the  colony 
were  in  a  most  flourishing  state. 

On  the  death  of  governor  Yeardley,  which  took  place  in 
November,  1627,  the  council  elected  Francis  West  to  succeed 
him.  During  his  administration,  the  king  proposed  to  the 
assembly  to  contract  for  the  whole  crop  of  tobacco ;  but  this 
attempt  to  monopolise  the  chief  staple  of  the  colony  was  met 
by  a  decided  refusal. 

In  1629,  John  Harvey,  the  governor  who  had  been  com- 
missioned by  the  king,  on  the  decease  of  Yeardley,  arrived 
in  Virginia.  He  had  formerly  resided  in  the  colony,  and  was 
personally  unpopular.  A  strong  party  was  formed  in  opposi- 
tion to  him,  and  when,  in  some  dispute  about  land  titles,  he 
was  found  to  favour  the  court,  in  opposition  to  the  interests 
of  the  colonies,  he  was  removed  from  the  government  and 
West  appointed  in  his  place.  He  subsequently  consented  to 
go  to  England,  with  two  commissioners  on  the  part  of  the 
colonists,  in  order  that  their  complaints  might  be  heard  by 
the  king. 

Instead  of  listening  to  them,  Charles  reappointed  Harvey, 
who  remained  in  office  till  1639.  He  has  been  stigmatised 
by  most  of  the  old  historians  as  a  tyrant ;  but  it  does  not  ap- 
pear that  he  attempted  to  deprive  the  colonists  of  any  of  their 
civil  rights.  The  assemblies  were  continued  as  before,  and 
exercised  all  the  powers  which  they  had  acquired  in  Yeardley*8 
time. 

His  successor  was  Sir  Francis  Wyatt,  who  continued  in 
office  till  February,  1642,  when  Sir  William  Berkeley,  having 
been  appointed  to  succeed  him,  arrived  and  assumed  the  go» 


What  were  the  views  of  Charles  I  ? 
What  was  his  first  act  ? 
His  next  ? 

What  IS  sai'  of  Ywdley'i  admi- 
nistration ? 
U  West's? 


What  governor  came  )ut  in  1629  f 
What  occasioned  his  return  to  ElQg« 
land  ? 

What  was  done  by  the  king  f 
What  was  Harvey's  cnaiacter  ^ 
What  is  said  of  Berkeley  f 


INDIAN  WAR. 


vernment.  He  recognised  and  confirmed  the  privileges  which 
the  Virginians  had  previoiisf  y  enjoyed,  and  received  the  cordial 
support  of  all  parties.  Some  abuses  in  the  construction  and 
administration  of  the  laws  were  reformed.  Religion  was 
provided  for ;  the  mode  of  assessing  taxes  was  changed  for  a 
more  equitable  one ;  and  the  people,  under  this  able  and 
popular  governor,  enjoyed  their  civil  liberties  without  dis- 
turbance from  any  quarter. 

We  must  not  omit  to  mention  an  order  of  the  assembly 
establishing  Episcopacy  as  the  religion  of  the  colony,  and 
banishing  all  non-conforming  ministers.  Missionaries  from 
New  England,  who  had  come  on  for  the  purpose  of  preaching 
to  the  puritan  settlements  in  Virginia,  were  silenced  and  or- 
dered to  leave  the  colony.  This  intolerance  was  in  accord- 
ance with  the  spirit  of  the  age ;  and  examples  of  a  similar 
character  are  not  wanting  in  the  history  of  Massachusetts. 

In  1644  the  Indians,  against  whom  a  hostile  spirit  had  been 
kept  up  since  the  great  massacre  of  1622,  made  a  sudden 
attack  upon  the  frontier  settlements,  and  killed  about  three 
hundred  persons,  before  they  were  repulsed.  An  active  war- 
fare was  immediately  commenced  against  the  savages,  and 
llieir  king,  the  aged  Oppaconcanough,  was  made  prisoner,  and 
died  in  captivity.  The  country  was  soon  placed  in  a  state  of 
perfect  security  against  further  aggressions  from  that  quarter 
In  1646  a  treaty,  accompanied  with  a  cession  of  lands,  was 
concluded  between  the  inhabitants  of  Virginia  and  Neconto- 
wanee,  the  successor  of  Oppaconcanough. 

The  colony  was  now  in  a  flourishing  state.  Its  commerce 
nad  increased,  so  that  upwards  of  thirty  ships  were  engaged  in 
the  traffic  with  different  ports  in  New  England  and  Europe. 
The  inhabitants,  in  1648,  had  increased  to  twenty  thousand. 

In  the  dispute  between  Charles  I  and  the  parliament  of 
England,  Virginia  espoused  the  cause  of  the  king  ;  and  when 
the  republicans  had  obtained  the  ascendency,  a  fleet  was  fitted 
out  from  England,  for  the  purpose  of  reducing  the  colony  to 
submission. 

In  the  mean  time,  an  ordinance  of  parliament,  of  1650. 
which  forbade  all  intercourse  between  the  loyal  colonies  and 
foreign  countries,  was  rigorously  enforced,  as  well  as  the  ac- 
of  1651,  which  secured  to  English  ships  the  entire  carrying 


Of  his  measures  ? 

What  act  of  intolerance  was  passed  ? 
Relate  the  events  of  the  Indian  war 
of  1644. 


What  is  said  of  the  commerce  of  Vir- 
ginia ? 

Of  the  civil  war  in  England  ? 
For  what  purpose  was  a  fleet  fitted 
out? 


60 


VIRGINIA  CAPITULATES, 


trade  with  England.  When  the  fleet  arrived,  commissioncn 
were  instructed  to  reduce  the  colony  to  submission.  It  wai 
found  that  parliament  offered  to  the  colonists,  provided  they 
would  adhere  to  the  commonwealth,  all  the  liberties  of  Eng- 
lishmen, with  an  amnesty  for  their  past  loyalty  to  the  deposed 
king,  and  *  as  free  trade  as  the  people  of  England.  On  th€ 
other  hand,  war  was  threatened  in  case  of  resistance. 

The  Virginians,  with  their  accustomed  gallantry,  *  refused 
to  surrender  to  force,  but  yielded  by  a  voluntary  deed,  and  j 
mutual  compact.'  All  the  rights  of  self-government,  formerly 
enjoyed,  were  again  guaranteed,  Richard  Bennet,  who  had 
been  one  of  the  commissioners  of  parliament,  was  elected 
governor,  and  Berkeley  retired  to  private  life. 

In  1655,  and  1658,  the  assembly  of  burgesses  exercised  the 
right  of  electing  and  removing  the  governor  of  the  colony ; 
and,  on  occasion  of  receiving  intelligence  of  the  death  of 
Cr(  mwell,  they  were  careful  to  reassert  this  right,  and  re- 
quire the  governor,  Matthews,  to  acknowledge  it,  in  order,  as 
they  said,  '  that  what  was  their  privilege  now,  might  be  the 
privilege  of  their  posterity.' 

On  the  death  of  Matthews,  the  government  of  England 
being  in  an  unsettled  state,  the  assembly  elected  Sir  William 
Berkeley  for  governor ;  and,  as  he  refused  to  act  under  the 
usurped  authority  of  the  parliament,  the  colonists  boldly  raised 
the  royal  standard,  and  proclaimed  Charles  the  Second,  as 
their  lawful  sovereign.  This  was  an  act  of  great  temerity,  as 
t  fairly  challenged  the  whole  power  of  Great  Britain.  The 
distracted  state  of  that  country  saved  the  Virginians  from  its 
consequences,  until  the  restoration  of  Charles  to  the  British 
hrone  gave  them  a  claim  to  his  gratitude,  as  the  last  among 
his  subjects  to  renounce,  and  the  first  to  return  to  their  alle- 
giance. 


What  terms  were  offered  to  the  Vir- 

ginip  ns  on  its  arrival  ? 
Were  they  accepted  ? 
V\  no  was  elected  governor  ? 
Vh2t  was  done  by  the  burgesses  in 

\m  and  \m 


Who  succeeded  Matthews  ? 

What  bold  act  was  performe*'  d  iring 

Sir  William  Berkeley's  admin  iitn 

tion  ? 

Why  was  it  unpumshftd 


ITAVIOATION  ACT 


CHAPTER  VIIl. 

VIRGINIA  AFTER  THE  RESTORATION. 

The  intelligence  of  the  Restoration  was  received  with  ew* 
fchusiasin  in  Virginia.  It  naturally  excited  hign  hopes  of 
favour,  which  were  increased  by  the  expressions  of  efcteem 
and  gratitude,  which  Charles  found  no  difficulty  in  addressing 
10  the  colonists.  These  hopes  they  were,  for  a  short  tirae 
permitted  to  indulge.  The  assembly  introduced  many 
portant  changes  in  judicial  proceedings  *  trial  by  jury  waa 
restored ;  the  Church  of  England,  which  of  course  had  lost 
its  supremacy  during  the  protectorate,  was  again  established 
by  law ;  and  the  introduction  of  Quakers  into  the  colony  wa« 
made  a  penal  offence. 

The  principles  of  government  which  prevailed  in  England 
during  the  reign  of  Charles  II,  were  extended  to  the  colonies, 
which  were  now  considered  as  subject  to  the  legislation  of 
parliament,  and  bound  by  its  acts.  The  effects  of  this  new 
state  of  things  were  first  perceived  in  the  restrictions  on 
commerce.  Retaining  the  commercial  system  of  the  Long 
Parliament,  the  new  house  of  commons  determined  to  render 
the  trade  of  the  colonies  exclusively  subservient  to  English 
commerce  and  navigation.  One  of  their  first  acts  was  to  vote 
a  dut)  of  five  per  cent,  on  all  merchandise  exported  from,  or 
imported  into  any  of  the  dominions  belonging  to  the  crown. 
This  was  speedily  followed  by  the  famous  ''Navigation  Jict^ 
the  most  memorable  statute  in  the  English  commercial  code. 

By  this  law,  among  other  things,  it  was  enacted,  that  no 
commodities  should  be  imported  into  any  British  settlement 
in  Asia,  Africa,  or  America,  or  exported  from  them,  but  in 
vessels  built  in  England,  or  the  plantations,  and  navigated  by 
crews,  of  which  the  master  and  three-fourths  of  the  mariners 
should  be  English  subjects,  under  the  penalty  of  forfeiture  of 
ship  and  cargo ;  that  none  but  natural  born  subjects,  or  such  as 
had  been  naturalised,  should  exercise  the  occupation  of  mer- 
chant, or  factor,  in  any  English  settlement,  under  the  penalty 
of  forfeiture  of  goods  and  chattels ;  that  no  sugar,  tobacco,  cot- 


How  did  the  Virginians  regard  the  What  act  of  parliament  was  pais- 

Restoration  in  England  ?  ed 

Wnat  was  done  l»y  the  assembly  ?  What  were  the  pro  visions  of  the  nft> 

What  was  now  the  policy  of  the  vigation  act  ? 

British  government  ? 


62 


RESTRICTIONS  ON  COMMERCE. 


ton,  wool,  indigo,  ginger,  or  woods  used  in  dyeing,  produced 
or  manufactured  in  the  colonies,  should  be  shipped  from  them 
to  any  other  country  than  England ;  and  to  secure  the  obser 
vance  of  this  regulation,  the  owners  were  required,  before  tail- 
ing, to  give  bonds,  with  surety,  for  sums  proportioned  to  the 
rate  of  their  vessels.  Other  articles  of  merchandise  were 
subsequently  aided  to  the  list,  as  they  became  impcrtant  tc 
the  colonial  trade. 

As  some  compensation  to  the  colonies  for  these  commercial 
restrictions,  they  were  allowed  the  exclusive  privilege  of  sup- 
pJv'^ig  England  with  tobacco,  the  cultivation  of  which  was 
^rOiiibited  in  England,  Ireland,  Guernsey,  and  Jersey.  In 
1663,  the  fib  ligation  act  was  *^nlarged,  by  prohibiting  the  im* 
portation  of  European  commodities  into  the  colonies,  except 
in  vessels  laden  in  England,  and  navigated  and  manned  ac- 
cording to  the  provisions  already  quoted. 

At  the  same  time  the  principle  was  assumed,  and  declared, 
that  the  commerce  of  the  colonies  ought  to  be  confined  to  the 
mother  country,  and  that  the  colonies  themselves  should  be 
retained  in  firm  and  absolute  dependence.  Not  content  with 
this,  the  parliament  proceeded  to  tax  the  trade  of  the  several 
colonies  with  each  other,  by  imposing  a  duty  on  the  exporta- 
tion of  the  commodities  enumerated  in  the  navigation  act,  from 
one  colony  to  another,  equivalent  to  what  was  levied  on  the 
consumption  of  those  articles  in  England. 

This  colonial  system  was  considered  highly  conducive  to 
the  interests  of  England  ;  and  was,  of  course,  popular  in  that 
country,  but  it  was  felt  to  be  unjust  and  injurious  to  the  colo- 
nists, and  excited  their  indignation,  as  well  as  a  determination 
to  evade  it  in  every  possible  way. 

The  Virginians,  who  had  naturally  expected  distinguishing 
favours  from  the  restored  government,  were  highly  exaspe- 
rated at  this  selfish  and  cruel  attack  upon  their  prosperity. 
They  remonstrated  against  it  as  a  grievance,  and  petitioned 
for  relief.  But  Charles,  instead  of  listening  to  their  request, 
enforced  the  act  with  the  utmost  rigour,  by  erecting  forts  on 
the  banks  of  the  principal  rivers,  and  appointing  vessels  to 
cruise  on  the  coast.  Relief  was  sought  by  entering  into  a 
clandestine  trade  with  the  Dutch,  on  Hudson  river.  This, 
however,  was  of  trifling  importance.  A  conspiracy  for  throw- 
ing oflf  the  yoke  of  England,  which  has  received  the  name 


What  was  allowed  to  the  colonists  ?  How  in  America  ? 

What  principle  was  assumed  ?  What  was  done  by  the  Virg* 

How  was  the  colrnial  system  regarded  By  Charles  II  ? 

in  England  f  By  Birkenhead  and  othen  f 


MSCONtENT  OF  THE  VIROINIANft 


ofBiikeahead's  plot,  was  entered  into  by  some  batiislied  sol- 
liers  of  Cromwell;  but  it  was  easily  suppressed  by  the 
pruilence  of  Sir  William  Berkeley,  and  the  leaders  were 
executed.  (1663.) 

The  colonial  assembly,  by  way  of  retaliation  on  the  mother 
eountry,  enacted  a  law  that,  in  the  payment  of  debts,  coun- 
try creditors  should  have  the  priority,  and  that  all  courts  ct 
justie«  should  give  precedence  in  judgment  to  contracts  made 
m  the  colony.  Acts  were  passed  to  restrain  the  cultivation 
of  tobacco,  and  to  introduce  the  production  and  manufacture 
of  silk.  These  designs  were  unsuccessful.  The  people 
would  raise  tobacco  as  long  as  they  found  a  ready  market  for 
it ;  and  the  price  of  labour,  in  a  new  country,  was  found  to 
be  wholly  incompatible  with  the  profitable  culture  of  the  silk 
worm. 

The  discontents,  occasioned  by  the  commercial  restric 
tions,  were  further  increased  by  the  inconsiderate  grants  oi 
land  which  the  king  made  to  his  favourites,  in  violation  o* 
the  rights  of  the  Virginians,  and  the  grants  which  had  pre- 
viously been  made. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  year  1675,  there  occurred  some 
slight  out-breakings  of  popular  discontent,  which,  though 
easily  suppressed  by  the  prudence  and  decision  of  the  go» 
vernor,  gave  a  significant  intimation  of  the  state  of  public 
feeling.  To  avert  the  crisis,  and  obtain  some  redress,  a 
deputation  was  sent  to  England ;  who,  after  a  tedious  nego- 
tiation  with  the  king  and  his  ministers,  had  nearly  succeeded 
in  their  object,  when  they  received  the  intelligence  of  a  fof' 
midable  rebellion  in  the  colony. 

A  tax,  imposed  by  the  assembly  to  defray  the  expenses  of 
the  deputation  had  caused  some  irritation,  which  the  delay 
of  the  government  in  affording  relief  exasperated  into  fury. 
A  war  with  the  Susquehannah  Indians,  which  had  distressed 
the  frontiers  for  some  time,  now  burst  forth  with  new  vio- 
lence, and  threatened  additional  expense  and  distress  to  the 
people.  The  governor.  Sir  William  Berkeley,  whose  popu 
larity  had  been  hitherto  equal  to  his  spirit  and  integrity,  was 
now  pronounced  too  old  and  infirm  for  his  office.  He  was 
ungratefully  *  accused  of  wanting  honesty  to  resist  the  op 
pressions  of  the  mother  country,  and  courage  to  repel  the 
hostility  of  the  savages.'  These  charges  were  urged  with 
great  artifice,  eloquence,  and  address,  by  an  adventurer  whe 


By  Governor  Berkeley  ?  I  What  happened  early  in  1676  f 

By  the  assembly  ?  With  whom  did  a  war  break  o«t  f 

What  iDcreaMd  the  disconttntt  ?  | 


BACCN  S  REBELLION. 


d  arrived  in  the  colony  about  three  years  before,  Nathaniel 
Bacon. 

This  man  had  been  bred  to  the  law,  and  had  gained,  by 
his  talents  and  insinuating  manners,  a  seat  in  the  council, 
and  the  rank  of  colonel  in  the  militia.  He  was  not  satisfied 
with  these  distinctions,  but  aspired  to  greater  things.  He  had 
been  concerned  in  the  insurrection  of  the  preceding  year,  and 
had  been  taken  prisoner,  but  was  pardoned  by  the  governor. 
This  circumstance  had  cut  him  off  from  all  hope  of  promo- 
tion by  the  regular  government  of  the  colony ;  and  his  am- 
bition took  another  direction.  He  inveighed,  with  much 
warmth  and  eloquence,  against  what  he  termed  the  inertness 
And  neglect  of  the  governor,  in  the  conduct  of  the  frontier 
war;  and,  declaring  that  the  whole  Indian  race  might  easily 
be  exterminated,  he  exhorted  the  people  to  take  up  arms  in 
their  own  defence,  and,  by  one  vigorous  campaign,  to  ter- 
minate the  war. 

His  harangue  was  successful.  A  great  number  of  the  peo- 
Die  were  soon  embodied  for  an  expedition  against  the  In- 
dians ;  and,  having  elected  Bacon  for  their  general,  placed 
themselves  entirely  at  his  disposal.  To  sanction  the  autho- 
rity he  had  acquired,  or  to  create  an  open  breach  with  the 
existing  government,  he  applied  to  the  governor  for  a  con 
firmation  of  his  election,  and  offered  instantly  to  marcl 
against  the  common  enemy.  Berkeley  temporised,  and 
when  pressed  for  a  decision,  issued  a  proclamation,  com 
manding  the  multitude,  in  the  king's  name,  to  disperse  im 
mediately,  under  the  penalties  of  rebellion. 

Bacon,  by  no  means  disconcerted  at  this  turn  of  affairs., 
marched  directly  to  Jamestown,  at  the  head  of  six  hundred 
of  his  followers;  and,  surrounding  the  house  where  the  go- 
vernor and  assembly  were  met,  he  demanded  the  commission 
m  a  tone  not  to  be  mistaken.  Berkeley  refused  with  firm- 
ness ;  and,  presenting  himself  to  the  conspirators,  who  had 
fharged  him  with  cowardice,  he  undauntedly  exposed  his 
breast  to  their  weapons,  and  awaited  the  result.  The  coun- 
cil, less  courageous  than  their  leader,  hastily  prepared  a  com- 
mission, appointing  Bacon  captain-general  of  all  the  forces 
in  Virginia,  and,  by  dint  of  earnest  entreaty,  prevailed  on  the 
governor  to  sign  it.   


Who  slandered  the  governor,  and  fo- 

iifinted  disturbances  ? 
Wbiit  was  Bacon's  character  ? 
How  did  he  Ip flame  the  minds  of  t\ie 

people  ' 
WUmlX  did  the/  do  i 


To  whom  did  they  apply  for  a  con- 
firmation of  their  acts  ? 
What  was  Berkeley's  answer 
How  did  Bacon  then  proceed  f 
How  did  the  governor  behave  f 
Who  made  out  the  commissioi^  t 


CIVIL  WAR  IN  VIRGINIA. 


65 


The  insurgents  raised  a  shout  of  triumph,  and  retired  ,  and 
the  assembly,  feeling  their  courage  suddenly  revive  with  the 
Departure  of  the  danger,  voted  a  resolution  annulling  the 
commission  they  had  just  granted,  as  having  been  extorted 
by  force,  denouncing  Bacon  as  a  rebel,  and  commanding  his 
followers  to  deliver  him  up.  The  governor  readily  con- 
firmed this  act  of  the  assembly. 

Bacon  and  his  army  could  now  charge  their  opponent! 
with  baseness  and  treachery  ;  and  give  their  own  cause  a 
colour  of  justice.  They  returned  to  Jamestown ;  and  the 
governor  was  obliged  to  retire  to  Acomac,  on  the  eastern 
shore  of  the  Chesapeake.  Some  of  the  councillors  accom 
panied  him ;  the  rest  returned  to  their  plantations  ;  and  the 
government  of  the  colony  remained  in  the  hands  of  the 
popular  leader. 

Having  acquired  the  actual  power.  Bacon  now  sought  to 
give  it  a  legitimate  form.  He,  therefore,  assembled  the  gen- 
tlemen of  the  country  in  convention,  and  prevailed  on  a  large 
number  of  them.*  to  pledge  themselves,  by  oath,  to  support 
his  authority,  and  resist  his  enemies.'  A  declaration  was 
published,  in  the  name  of  the  convention,  charging  the  origin 
of  the  civil  war  upon  Sir  William  Berkeley,  setting  forth  that 
he  had  given  information  to  the  king  that  the  general  and  his 
followers  were  rebels  ;  and  requiring  the  people  to  support 
the  general,  by  aid  and  allegiance,  against  all  forces  whatso- 
ever, till  the  king  should  be  informed  of  the  true  state  of  the 
case.  This  declaration  united  the  great  body  of  the  people 
in  Virginia,  and  even  found  some  advocates  in  England. 

Berkeley,  in  the  mean  time,  retaining  some  adherents 
nmong  the  planters,  induced  them  to  take  up  arms ;  and, 
having  raised  some  recruits  among  the  crews  of  the  English, 
shipping  on  the  coast,  with  their  united  force  he  commenced 
a  series  of  attacks  on  the  insurgents,  with  various  success. 
The  colony  was  now  in  a  state  of  civil  war.  Jamestown 
was  burnt  by  Bacon's  party  ;  the  estates  of  the  loyalists  were 
plundered,  their  families  seized  as  hostages,  and  the  richest 
plantations  in  the  province  ravaged.  The  governor  retali- 
ated these  outrages,  and  executed  some  of  the  insurgents  by 
martial  law.    A  war  of  extermination  was  threatened. 

Meantime,  intelligence  of  the  rebellion  had  reached  Eng- 
land.   The  king  had  issued  a  proclamation,  declaring  Bacon 


Hov«^  did  the  assembly  then  behave  ?  How  did  Berkeley  proceed  ? 

What  was  the  consequence  ?  What  was  the  state  of  the  colony  t 

Who  retained  the  government  ?  What  was  done  by  the  King  of  Eng- 
How  did  ne  seek  to  strengthen  it  ?"  land  ? 


66 


VIRGINIA  RETAINS  HER  FREEDO 


a  traitor,  and  the  sole  author  of  the  insurrection,  granting 
pardon  to  those  of  his  followers  who  would  forsake  hiin, 
and  offering  freedom  to  all  slaves  who  would  aid  in  suppress- 
ing the  revolt.  An  armament,  under  Sir  John  Berry,  had 
sailed  from  England  to  assist  the  governor  in  his  warfare. 

Bacon  heard  the  intelligence  of  these  operations  without 
dismay.  He  counted  on  the  devotion  of  his  adherents,  and 
determined  to  resist  to  the  last  extremity.  He  had  already 
proclaimed  a  general  forfeiture  of  all  the  property  of  his  op- 
ponents, and  was  preparing  to  take  the  field  anew,  when  his 
career  was  suddenly  arrested  by  an  unforeseen  contingency. 
When  just  ready  to  strike  the  blow  which  was  to  annihilate 
the  opposition  of  his  enemies,  he  suddenly  sickened  and  died. 

So  completely  had  he  been  the  soul  of  his  party,  that  his 
death  was  the  signal  for  its  immediate  dissolution.  Without 
any  attempt  at  reorganization — without  any  choice  of  a  new 
leader,  they  entered  into  terms  with  Sir  William  Berkeley 
and  laid  down  their  arms  on  condition  of  receiving  a  general 
pardon.  (1676.) 

This  rebellion,  which  had  placed  the  cdbny  for  seven 
months  under  the  direction  of  a  most  reckless  usurper,  might 
^lave  terminated  in  its  complete  ruin.  It  cost  many  valuable 
jves,  and  occasioned  the  loss  of  property  to  a  very  large 
amount.  It  failed,  however,  to  convey  to  the  mother  country 
the  lesson  that  it  was  unsafe  and  impolitic  to  oppress  the 
colonies  by  restrictions  on  their  commerce.  Had  the  signs 
which  it  held  forth  been  properly  understood  by  the  British 
government,  the  revolution  of  1776  might  have  been  delayed 
to  a  much  later  period. 

The  succeeding  period  in  the  history  of  Virginia  is  marked 
with  few  incidents  of  importance.  The  succession  of  the 
different  governors  and  the  continuance  of  the  commercial 
restrictions  are  the  only  circumstances  of  note  during  the 
subsequent  portion  of  the  reign  of  Charles  II  and  that  of 
James  II. 

The  revolution  of  the  British  government  which  took  place 
in  1688  was  highly  beneficial  to  Virginia,  in  common  with 
the  other  American  colonies.  The  new  sovereigns,  William 
and  Mary,  gave  their  patronage  and  their  name  to  a  college 
which  had  been  projected  in  the  preceding  reign,  and  which 


By  Bacon 

What  ended  his  rebellion  ? 
How  did  his  followers  proceed  iftei 
hii  death  ? 


What  waa  ihe  effect  of  this  rebellion  ? 

Wha^  v  as  the  etfect  ol  the  revolution 
of  1588,  on  tne  affairs  of  Virgi- 
nia? 


SETTLLMENT  CF  MARYLAND. 


67 


is  to  tliis  day  one  of  the  most  respectable  literary  seminariefc 
in  the  country. 

The  political  freedom,  which  the  revolution  confirmed  and 
established  in  England,  extended  many  of  its  blessings  to 
Virginia.  The  province  became  less  dependent  on  the  will 
of  the  sovereign,  and  although  he  had  still  the  appointment 
of  the  governors,  the  influence  of  the  colonial  assemblies 
was  sufficient  to  restrain  those  functionaries  within  such 
boundaries  of  authority  as  were  requisite  for  the  well  being 
of  the  colony.  Favouritism  and  religious  intolerance  dis- 
appeared ;  and  a  better  understanding  prevailed  with  the 
other  provincial  governments. 

The  population  had  increased  to  upwards  of  60,000  souls ; 
and  the  increasing  healthfulness  of  the  settlements  promised  a 
still  more  rapid  augmentation  of  their  numbers.  In  1688,  the 
province  contained  forty-eight  parishes,  embracing  upwards 
of  200,000  acres  of  appropriated  land.  Each  parish  contained 
a  church,  with  a  parsonage  house  and  glebe  attached;  and 
jach  clergyman  was  by  law  assigned  a  salary  of  16,000  pounds 
jf  tobacco.  Episcopacy  continued  to  be  the  established 
eligion,  but  dissenters  were  increasing  so  rapidly,  that  before 
.he  American  revolution  they  amounted  to  two-thirds  of  the 
whole  population.  The  statutes  against  them,  though  un- 
repealed, had  become  a  dead  letter. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

BETTLEMENT  OF  MARYLAND. 

By  its  second  charter,  Virginia  included  the  whole  territory 
^hich  at  present  forms  the  state  of  Maryland.  The  country 
was  explored  by  the  Virginia  settlers  as  early  as  1621;  a 
settlement  was  formed,  and  a  trade  with  the  Indians  in  furs 
established.  An  attempt  was  made  to  monopolise  this  trade 
by  William  Clayborne,  a  man  of  active  and  turbulent  dispo- 
sition, who  long  exerted  an  extensive  and  injurious  influence 
over  the  fortunes  of  the  rising  state. 

He  had  come  out  from  England  as  a  surveyor  in  1621,  and 
had  sustained  impo  rtant  offices  in  Virginia  till  1629,  when  he 
was  employeil  to  survey  the  Chesapeake  bay.    The  informa- 


What  was  the  population  ? 
In  what  state  was  Maryland  originally 
included  f 


What  was  done  in  1621  f 
Who  ^as  William  Clayborne  > 
How  (v^as  he  employed  in  1629  f 


68 


CHARTER  OF  MARYLAND. 


tion  which  he  obtained  in  executing  this  undertaking,  indulged 
hiin  to  form  a  company  m  England  for  trading  with  the 
Indians,  and  he  obtained  a  royal  license,  giving  him  the 
direction  of  an  expedition  for  this  purpose  in  1631.  Under 
these  auspices  trading  establishments  were  formed  on  Kent 
Island  in  Maryland,  and  also  near  the  mouth  of  the  Susque- 
hannah.  Clayborne's  authority  was  confirmed  by  a  commis- 
sion from  the  government  of  Virginia,  and  that  colony  claimed 
the  advantages  which  were  expected  to  result  from  commer- 
cial speculation  extending  far  to  the  north  of  the  presen 
limits  of  the  state  of  Virginia. 

But  a  distinct  colony  was  now  formed  on  her  borders  under 
the  auspices  of  the  Calvert  family.  Sir  George  Calvert,  a 
Roman  Catholic  nobleman  of  enlarged  capacity  and  liberal 
views,  had  become  interested  in  American  colonisation.  He 
had  spent  a  large  amount  of  time  and  money  in  unsuccessful 
attempts  to  form  settlements  on  Newfoundland.  In  1628, 
he  visited  Virginia ;  but  was  deterred  from  settling  within  its 
limits  by  the  intolerance  of  the  colonial  government  towards 
his  religious  opinions. 

He  therefore  turned  his  attention  towards  the  country 
beyond  the  Potomac ;  and,  finding  it  at  the  disposal  of  the 
King  of  England,  he  easily  obtained  from  him  a  charter  for 
colonising  it.  This  charter  was  of  a  liberal  character,  afford- 
ing ample  guarantees  for  the  freedom  of  the  colonists,  and  the 
rights  and  privileges  of  the  proprietary.  The  boundaries 
which  it  prescribed  were  the  Atlantic  ocean,  the  fortieth 
parallel  of  north  latitude,  the  meridian  of  the  western  fountain 
of  the  Potomac,  the  river  itself  from  its  mouth  to  its  source, 
and  a  line  drawn  due  east  from  Watkin's  Point  to  the  ocean. 
The  name  given  to  the  new  colony  w-as  Maryland,  in  honour 
of  Henrietta  Maria,  daughter  of  Henry  IV  of  France,  and 
wife  of  Charles  I  of  England. 

The  charter  assigned  the  country  to  Calvert,  Lord  Balti- 
more, his  heirs  and  assigns,  as  absolute  lord  and  proprietary, 
on  payment  of  a  feudal  rent  of  two  Indian  arrows,  and  one-fifth 
of  all  gold  and  silver  ore  which  might  be  discovered  The 

In  1631 ? 

Where  did  he  form  trading  establish- 
ments ? 

Uttder  wliat  colonial  government  did 
he  act  ? 

Urder  whose  auspices  was  a  distinct 

colony  formed  ? 
Who  was  Sir  George  Calvert  ? 
What  prevented  his  settling  in  Vir- 


For  what  country  did  he  obtain  a 

charter  ? 
From  whom  ? 
What  did  it  aflford  ? 
What  were  the  boundaries  of  the  new 

colony  ? 
What  was  its  name  ? 
What  were  the  tenni     the  clui» 

tcr? 


CHARACTER  Or  SIR  OEORGE  CALVERT.  66 

right  of  legislation  was  given  to  the  emigrants  who  should 
Bettle  on  the  soil.  They  were  also  protected  from  injury  by 
the  proprietary,  to  their  lives,  liberty,  or  estates. 

Although  Sir  George  Calvert  was  a  Roman  Catholic,  he 
allowed  the  most  perfect  religious  liberty  to  the  colonists  under 
his  charter ;  and  Maryland  was  the  first  state  in  the  world  in 
which  perfect  religious  freedom  was  enjoyed.  All  English 
fubjects,  without  distinction,  were  allowed  equal  rights  in 
respect  to  property  and  religious  and  civil  franchises.  A 
royal  exemption  from  English  taxation  was  another  singular 
privilege  obtained  by  Lord  Baltimore  for  the  people  of  his 
colony.  All  the  extraordinary  features  of  his  charter  owe 
their  origin  to  the  political  foresight  and  sagacity  of  this 
remarkable  man. 

*  Calvert,'  says  Mr.  Bancroft,  *  deserves  to  be  ranked 
among  the  most  wise  and  benevolent  lawgivers  of  all  ages. 
He  was  the  first  in  the  history  of  the  Christian  world  to  seek 
for  religious  security  and  peace  by  the  practice  of  justice,  and 
not  by  the  exercise  of  power ;  to  plan  the  establishment  of 
popular  institutions  with  the  enjoyment  of  liberty  of  con- 
science ;  to  advance  the  career  of  civilisation  by  recognising 
the  rightful  equality  of  all  Christian  sects.  The  asylum  of 
papists  was  the  spot,  where,  in  a  remote  corner  of  the  worlc' 
on  the  banks  of  rivers,  which,  as  yet,  had  hardly  been  ex- 
plored, the  mild  forbearance  of  a  proprietary  adopted  religious 
freedom  as  the  basis  of  the  state.' 

Before  the  patent  was  executed  Sir  George  Calvert  died, 
and  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Cecil  Calvert,  the  second  Lord 
Baltimore ;  who  became  the  proprietor  of  Maryland,  and 
transmitted  his  proprietary  rights  to  many  generations  of  his 
heirs. 

Virginia  remonstrated  against  what  she  considered  an  in- 
fringement of  her  rights  and  an  invasion  of  her  territory ;  but 
the  remonstrance  was  disregarded  at  court ;  and  in  November, 
1633,  Leonard  Calvert,  the  brother  of  Lord  Baltimore,  sailed 
from  England  with  about  two  hundred  Roman  Catholics  foi 
America.  He  arrived  in  February  of  the  following  year  at 
Point  Comfort,  in  Virginia,  and  was  courteously  received  by 
the  governor,  Harvey.  From  this  Point  he  sailed  up  the 
Potomac *to  the  Indian  town  of  Piscataqua,  nearly  opposite 


What  religious  rights  wer*;  allowed 

by  Calvert  ? 
What  is  observed  of  Maryland  ? 
What  was  Calvert's  character  ? 
Who  was  his  successor  ? 


What  was  done  by  Virginia  ? 

Who  was  sent  out  with  the  settlers 

under  the  charter  of  Maryland  ? 
Where  did  he  arrive  ? 


70 


SETTLEMENT  OF   ST.  MARY's. 


Mount  Vernon,  the  chieftain  of  which  told  him  *  he  might  uae 
his  own  discretion  about  settling  in  his  country.  Calvert, 
however,  chose  a  site  lower  down  the  river,  at  the  Indian 
town  of  Yoacomoco,  on  the  St.  Mary's  river,  which  he  named 
St.  George's  river.  The  Indians  were  induced,  by  presents, 
to  give  them  up  half  the  town,  and  promise  the  abandonment 
of  the  whole  after  harvest.  Quiet  possession  of  the  place 
was  accordingly  taken  by  the  colonists,  and  the  town  waa 
naiKied  St.  Mary's. 

The  Indians  now  entered  into  a  permanent  treaty  with  the 
settlers ;  their  women  taught  the  wives  of  the  English  to 
make  bread  of  maize,  and  the  men  instructed  their  visiters  in 
the  arts  of  the  chase.  The  ground  being  already  tilled,  and  a 
supply  of  food  and  cattle  from  Virginia  being  always  within 
reach,  the  province  advanced  rapidly  in  wealth  and  industry. 
In  six  months  it  had  increased  more  than  Virginia  had  done 
in  as  many  years.  The  proprietary  was  liberal  in  his  dis- 
bursements, spending  forty  thousand  pounds  in  the  first  two 
years. 

In  1635,  the  first  colonial  assembly  was  convened,  and 
passed  laws  for  protecting  its  rights  against  the  encroach- 
ments of  Clayborne.  He  had  made  an  attack  on  the  colonists 
on  one  of  the  rivers  near  the  isle  of  Kent,  but  his  men  had 
been  defeated  and  taken  prisoners.  Clayborne  himself  fled 
to  Virginia,  and  when  reclaimed  by  the  governor  of  Mary- 
land, was  sent  by  Harvey  to  England. 

He  was  declared  a  traitor,  and  his  estates  were  pronounced 
forfeited  by  an  act  of  the  Maryland  assembly.  His  attempts 
to  obtain  redress  in  England  were  unavailing;  and  the  right 
of  Lord  Baltimore  to  the  jurisdiction  of  Maryland  was  fully 
confirmed  by  the  British  government. 

Meantime  the  assembly  of  Maryland  was  labouring  in  the 
cause  of  civil  liberty  ;  at  the  same  time  that  it  recognised  the 
sovereignty  of  the  king  of  England,  and  the  rights  of  the 
proprietary,  it  confirmed  the  rights  of  Englishmen  to  the  in- 
habitants of  Maryland ;  established  a  representative  govern- 
ment ;  and  asserted  for  itself  similar  powers  to  those  of  the 
British  House  of  Commons. 

In  1642,  the  gratitude  of  the  colonists  towards  Lord  BaltP 
more  was  manifested  by  the  grant  of  such  a  subsidy  as  they 
could  aflford. 


Wh-ere  did  he  settle  ? 
Wtiat  IS  saiu  of  the  Indians  ? 
Of  the  increase  of  the  colony  ? 
Of  the  proprirtary  ?  ^ 


What  is  related  of  CUyborne  i 
Of  Lord  Baltimore  ? 
Of  the  assembly  f 
Of  the  colonistg  } 


FIRSJ    SETTLEMENT  OF   NEW  ENGLAND. 


7) 


Abou  t  the  same  time,  tht  Indians,  instigated  by  Clayborne. 
commenced  hostilities,  but  were  reduced  to  submission  with- 
out much  difficulty,  and  measures  were  taken  by  the  assem- 
bly to  insure  the  future  tranquillity  of  the  colony. 

In  1643,  Clayborne  succeeded  in  raising  a  rebellion,  which 
kept  the  province  in  a  state  of  disturbance  for  three  years ; 
and  at  one  time  the  governor  was  compelled  to  fly,  and  the 
public  records  were  lost  or  embezzled 

The  government,  however,  was  eventually  triumphant,  and 
confirmed  its  victory  by  the  wise  and  humane  expedient  of  a 
general  amnesty. 

The  civil  wars  of  England  extended  their  influence  to 
Maryland  as  well  as  the  other  colonies.  When  the  authority 
of  Cromwell  was  defied  by  the  Virginians,  and  commis- 
sioners were  sent  to  reduce  them  to  obedience,  Clayborne, 
the  ever  active  enemy  of  the  Mary  landers,  seized  the  occa- 
sion for  extending  his  authority  over  them  ;  and  a  long  series 
of  fresh  troubles  and  disturbances  were  brought  on  by  his 
measures.  Stone,  the  deputy  of  Lord  Baltimore,  was  re- 
peatedly deprived  of  his  commission ;  the  Catholic  in-  ^^^.^ 
habitants  were  persecuted  for  their  religious  opinions, 
and  the  province  was  kept  for  years  in  a  state  of  alarm  ^g^g 
and  confusion.  The  authority  of  the  proprietary  was, 
however,  finally  restored. 

In  1660,  the  representatives  of  Maryland  declared  their 
right  of  independent  legislation,  and  passed  an  act  making  it 
felony  to  disturb  the  order  thus  established.  From  that  time 
forward  the  province  enjoyed  comparative  repose.  Their 
population  had  already  reached  the  number  of  twelve  thou- 
sand. 


Several  abortive  attempts  were  made  to  colonise  the 
country  now  called  New  England,  before  the  famous  expedi- 
tion of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  which  planted  the  earliest  p«^ 
manent  colony 


CHAPTER  X. 


FIRST  SETTLEMENT  OF  NEW  ENGLANH. 


Of  the  Indians  ? 
Of  Clayborne  ^ 
Ot  the  governor  ? 
Of  the  govemmrat  * 


wars  of  England  ? 
What  wa5  done  in  1660 ' 
What  followed } 


What  transpired  durin|(  the  oir 


THE  PLYMOUTH  COUNCIL. 


Two  expeditions  were  sent  out  from  the  west  of  England 
as  early  as  1606,  neither  of  which  left  settlers  ;  but  in  1607, 
two  ships,  commanded  by  Raleigh  Gilbert,  sailed  with  a 
colony  of  emigrants  under  the  presidency  of  George  Popham. 
These  adventurers  landed  and  formed  a  settlement  near  the 
mouth  of  Kennebec  river,  which  they  called  St.  George. 
Forty-five  persons  were  left  here  by  the  ships  on  their  return 
to  England,  in  December. 

During  the  winter  the  little  colony  suffered  many  hard- 
ships and  misfortunes.  Their  president  died ;  and  on  the 
return  of  the  ships  with  supplies,  Gilbert,  who  had  suc- 
ceeded to  the  presidency,  learning  that  chief  justice  Popham, 
the  principal  patron  of  the  colony,  was  dead ;  and  that  he 
himself  had,  by  the  decease  of  his  brother,  become  heir  to  a 
considerable  estate,  abandoned  the  plantation  ;  and  the  whole 
company  returned  to  the  mother  country. 

In  1614,  Captain  John  Smith,  the  hero  whose  name  is  so 
celebrated  in  Virginia  history,  set  sail  with  two  ships  for  the 
coast  north  of  Virginia,  and  performed  a  prosperous  voyage, 
during  which  he  explored  the  coast,  and  prepared  a  map  of 
it,  from  the  Penobscot  river  Cape  Cod.  He  gave  to  ine 
country  the  name  of  New  England. 

His  success  in  this  enterprise  encouraged  him  to  attempt 
the  settlement  of  a  colony  for  Sir  Ferdinand  Gorges  and 
others,  of  the  Plymouth  company.  But  after  two  attempts 
he  was  intercepted  on  his  voyage  by  French  pirates,  lost  his 
vessel,  and  finally  escaped  from  the  harbour  of  Rochelle, 
alone,  in  an  open  boat.  Smith  was  a  perfect  hero  of  romance. 
Wherever  we  hear  of  his  being,  we  are  sure  to  find  him  per- 
forming some  extraordinary  act,  some  feat  of  chivalry  or 
herculean  labour,  such  as  no  ordinary  man  would  ever  have 
thought  of  attempting.  His  fortune  was  as  extraordinary  as 
his  genius. 

On  his  return  home  from  France,  he  published  his  map 
and  description  of  New  England ;  and  by  his  earnest  soli- 
citations engaged  the  western  company  for  colonising  Ame- 
rica, to  solicit  and  obtain  a  charter  for  settling  the  country. 
The  company  was  called  *  The  council  established  at  Ply- 
mouth, in  the  county  of  Devon,  for  the  planting,  ruling, 
ordering,  and  governing  New  England,  in  America.'  The 


Where  was  a  colony  planted  in  1607? 
What  occasioned  its  abandonment  ? 
What  was  done  by  Captain  Smith  in 
1614  ? 

Whot  bcfelJ  him  afterwards  ? 


What  is  observed  of  Smith  ? 

What  was  done  by  him  on  his  return 

to  England  ? 
What  company  was  formed  under  hit 

auspices  f 


THE  BROWNISTS. 


7^ 


charter  gave  this  company  the  absolute  property  and  un- 
limited controul  ol  the  territory  included  between  the  fortieth 
and  forty-eighth  degrees  of  north  latitude  and  the  Atlantic 
and  Pacific  oceans.  A  glance  at  the  map  will  show  that  this 
included  the  Canadas,  all  the  Eastern  and  nearly  all  the  Mid 
die  States,  and  a  country  of  immense  extent  to  the  west.  All 
this  territory,  with  its  commercial  and  internal  resources- 
were  placed  under  the  absolute  controul  of  some  forty  mer- 
chants and  gentlemen,  who  composed  the  company,  and  re- 
sided in  England. 

The  extent  of  these  powers,  vested  in  the  company,  de- 
layed emigration ;  and  in  the  mean  time,  the  first  permanent 
colony  in  New  England  was  established  without  regard  to 
this  charter,  or  even  the  knowledge  of  the  company  who  hac 
obtained  it. 

A  sect  of  puritans,  distinguished  by  the  democracy  of  its 
tenets  respecting  church  government,  and  denominated 
Brownisls,  from  the  name  of  its  founder,  had  sprung  up  in 
England,  and  after  suffering  much  persecution  from  the  go- 
vernment, had  taken  refuge  at  Leyden,  in  Holland.  Here 
its  members  having  formed  a  distinct  society  under  the  charge 
of  their  pastor,  Mr.  John  Robinson,  resided  for  some  years 
in  obscurity  and  safety ;  but  not  finding  their  situation  con- 
genial to  their  feelings  as  Englishmen,  and  fearful  of  losing 
their  national  identity,  they  had  come  to  the  determination 
of  removing  in  a  body  to  America. 

They  accordingly  sent  two  of  their  number,  Robert  Cush- 
man  and  John  Carver,  to  England,  for  the  purpose  of  obtain- 
ing the  consent  of  the  London  company  to  their  emigration  to 
Virginia.  Permission  was  promised,  and  a  formal  application, 
signed  by  the  greatest  part  of  the  congregation,  was  transmit- 
ted to  the  company.  The  language  used  on  this  occasion 
mdicates  the  state  of  feeling  which  prompted  the  application. 
•  We  are  well  weaned  from  the  delicate  milk  of  our  mothei 
country,  and  inured  to  the  difficulties  of  a  strange  land ;  the 
people  are  industrious  and  frugal.  We  are  knit  together  as  a 
body  in  a  most  sacred  covenant  of  the  Lord,  of  the  violation 
whereof  we  make  great  conscience,  and  by  virtue  whereof  we 
hold  ourselves  straitly  tied  to  all  care  of  each  other's  good, 
and  of  the  whole.   It  is  not  with  us  as  with  men  whom  small 


What  was  granted  in  their  charter  ? 
What  delayed  emigration  ? 
What  took  place  in  the  mean  time  ? 
Who  were  the  Brownists  ? 
Where  did  they  take  refuge  f 
Who  was  their  pastor  ? 


Wh>  did  the>  determine  to  leave 
Holland  ? 

To  whom  did  they  apply  for  permis- 
sion to  settle  in  America  ? 

What  was  their  character  f 


74 


yOYAGE  OF  THE  PILGRIMS. 


things  can  discourage.'  Such  was  the  character  of  the  far- 
renowned  Pilgrims  of  New  England,  as  described  by  thero- 
sclves. 

They  were  desirous  that  their  enterprise  should  receive  the 
formal  approbation  of  the  king.  But  James  I  was  hostile  to 
all  the  puritans  ;  and  the  utmost  that  he  would  promise  wm 
neglect.  A  patent  under  the  company's  seal  was,  however, 
obtained  through  the  influence  of  Sir  Edwin  Sandys,  and  s 
tract  of  land  assigned  them  within  the  limits  of  the  Virginia 
charter.  The  funds  necessary  for  defraying  the  expenses  of 
the  expedition  were  obtained  in  London,  on  terms  by  no  means 
favourable  to  the  borrowers ;  but  this  circumstance  could  not 
deter  men  wVio  were  actuated  by  the  spirit  of  the  Pilgrims. 

Two  vessels,  the  Speedwell,  of  sixty  tons,  and  the  May- 
flower, of  one  hundred  and  eighty  tons  burthen,  were  hired  in 
England.  Only  a  part  of  the  congregation  could  be  accom- 
modated in  these  ;  and  Robinson  was  obliged  to  remain  at 
Leyden,  while  Brewster,  an  elder,  conducted  the  company 

It  was  on  the  morning  of  the  22d  of  July,  1620,  when 
Robinson,  kneeling  in  prayer  on  the  sea  shore  at  Delfthaven, 
consecrated  the  embarkation  of  the  Pilgrims.  The  beginning 
of  their  voyage  was  prosperous.  They  touched  at  South- 
ampton, in  England,  and  sailed  thence  on  the  fifth  of  August. 
Their  prospect  soon  darkened ;  they  were  obliged  to  put  back 
twice  in  order  to  repair  the  smaller  of  their  vessels,  and  final- 
ly to  abandon  her  with  such  of  their  company  as  were  too 
cowardly  to  continue  the  voyage ;  so  that  it  was  not  until  th? 
6th  of  September,  1620,  that  they  took  their  final  departure 
iirom  England  in  the  Mayflower. 

'  Could,'  says  a  celebrated  orator  of  our  own  times,  *  Could 
a  common  calculation  of  policy  have  dictated  the  terms  of  that 
settlement,  no  doubt  our  foundations  would  have  been  laid 
beneath  the  royal  smile.  Convoys  and  navies  would  have 
been  solicited,  to  waft  our  fathers  to  the  coast ;  armies  to  de- 
fend the  infant  communities  ;  and  the  flattering  patronage  of 
princes  and  lords,  to  espouse  their  interests  in  the  councils  of 
the  mother  country. 

*  Happy,  that  our  fathers  enjoyed  no  such  patronage ;  hap- 
py, that  they  fell  into  no  such  protecting  hands  ;  happy,  that 
our  foundations  were  silently  and  deeply  cast  in  quiet  insig- 


What  was  done  by  James  I  ? 
How  did  they  obtain  their  patent  f 
Where  did  ttey  raise  morey  ? 
What  ship^s  did  they  hire  ? 
Who  was  their  leader  f 


When  did  they  leave  Holland  ? 
What  occasioned  the  abandonment  o 

one  of  their  ships  ? 
Desciibe  the  vovage. 


«rOYAOE  OF  THE  PILGRIMS. 


76 


flificance,  beneath  a  charter  of  banishment,  persecution,  and 
contempt;  so  that  when  the  royal  arm  was  at  length  out- 
stretched against  us,  instead  of  a  submissive  child,  tied  down 
by  former  graces,  it  found  a  youthful  giant  in  the  land,  horn 
amidst  hardships,  and  nourished  on  the  rocks,  indebted  for  no 
favours,  and  owing  no  duty. 

*  From  the  dark  portals  of  the  star  chamber,  and  in  the  stern 
texts  of  the  acts  of  uniformity,  the  Pilgrims  received  a  com- 
mission, more  efficient  than  any  that  ever  bore  the  royal  seal. 
Their  banishment  to  Holland  was  fortunate ;  the  decline  of 
their  little  company  in  the  strange  land  was  fortunate ;  the 
difficulties  which  they  experienced,  in  getting  the  royal  con- 
sent to  banish  themselves  to  this  wilderness,  were  fortunate  • 
all  the  tears  and  heart-breakings  of  that  ever  memorable  part- 
mg  at  Delfthaven,  had  the  happiest  influence  on  the  rising 
destinies  of  New  England. 

*  All  this, purified  the  ranks  of  the  settlers.  These  rough 
touches  of  fortune  brushed  off  the  light,  uncertain,  selfish 
spirits.  They  made  it  a  grave,  solemn,  self-denying  expedi- 
tion, and  required  those  who  engaged  in  it  to  be  so  too.  They 
cast  a  broad  shadow  of  thought  and  seriousness  over  the  cause, 
and  if  this  sometimes  deepened  into  melancholy  and  bitterness, 
can  we  find  no  apology  for  such  a  human  weakness  ? 

'  It  is  sad  indeed  to  reflect  on  the  disasters  v  hich  the  little 
band  of  pilgrims  encountered.  Sad  to  see  a  p  )rtion  of  them, 
the  prey  of  unrelenting  cupidity,  treacherous  y  embarked  in 
an  unsound,  unseaworthy  ship,  which  they  are  soon  obliged 
to  abandon,  and  crowd  themselves  into  one  vessel ;  one  hun- 
dred persons,  besides  the  ship's  company,  in  a  vessel  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  tons.  One  is  touched  at  the  story  cf  the 
long,  cold,  and  weary  autumnal  passage  ;  of  the  landing  on 
the  inhospitable  rocks  at  this  dismal  season  ;  where  they  are 
deserted,  before  long,  by  the  ship  which  had  brought  them, 
and  which  seemed  their  only  hold  upon  tne  world  of  fellow 
men,  a  prey  to  the  elements  and  to  want,  and  fearfully  igno- 
rant of  the  numbers,  of  the  power,  and  the  temper  of  the 
savage  tribes  that  filled  the  unexplored  continent  upon  whose 
verge  they  had  ventured. 

*  But  sil  this  wrought  together  for  good.  These  trials  of 
wandering  and  exile  of  the  ocean,  the  winter,  the  wilderness, 
and  the  savage  foe,  were  the  final  assurance  of  success.  It 
was  these  that  put  far  away  from  our  fathers'  cause  all  patri- 
eian  softness,  all  hereditary  claims  lo  pre-eminence. 

'  No  effeminate  nobility  crowded  into  the  dark  and  austere 
rtnkg  of  the  Pilgrims     No  Carr  nor  Villiers  would  lead  Qp 


76 


rOYAGE  OF  THE  PILGKIMS. 


the  ill-provjded  band  of  despised  Puritans.  No  well  er'JO^eO 
clergy  were  on  the  alert,  to  quit  their  cathedrals,  and  set  up  a 
pompous  hierarchy  in  the  frozen  wilderness.  No  craving 
governors  were  anxious  to  be  sent  over  to  our  cheerless  El 
Dorados  of  ice  and  of  snow. 

*No,  they  could  not  say  they  had  encouraged,  patronised/ 
or  helped  the  Pilgrims ;  their  own  cares,  their  own  labourSj 
their  own  counsels,  their  own  blood  contrived  all,  achieved  all, 
bore  all,  sealed  all.  They  could  not  afterwards  fairly  pretend 
lo  reap  where  they  had  not  strewn;  and  as  our  fathers  reared 
this  broad  and  solid  fabric  with  pains  and  watchfulness,  un- 
aided, barely  tolerated,  it  did  not  fall  when  the  favour,  which 
had  always  been  withholden,  was  changed  into  wrath  ;  when 
the  arm,  which  had  never  supported,  was  raised  to  destroy. 

*  Methinks'  I  see  it  now,  that  one  solitary,  adventurous 
vessel,  the  Mayflower  of  a  forlorn  hope,  freighted  with  the 
prospects  of  a  future  state,  and  bound  across  the  unknown  sea. 
I  behold  it  pursuing,  with  a  thousand  misgivings,  the  uncer- 
tain, the  tedious  voyage.  Suns  rise  and  set,  and  weeks  and 
months  pass,  and  winter  surprises  them  on  the  deep,  but 
brings  them  not  the  sight  of  the  wished-for  shore. 

*  I  see  them  now,  scantily  supplied  with  provisions,  crowded 
almost  to  suffocation  in  their  ill-stored  prison,  delayed  by 
calms,  pursuing  a  circuitous  route — and  now  driven  in  fury 
before  the  raging  tempest,  on  the  high  and  giddy  waves.  The 
awful  voice  of  the  storm  howls  through  the  rigging.  The 
labouring  masts  seem  straining  from  their  base — the  dismal 
sound  of  the  pumps  is  heard — the  ship  leaps,  as  it  were, 
madly,  from  billow  to  billow — the  ocean  breaks,  and  settles 
with  engulfing  floods  over  the  floating  deck,  and  beats  with 
deadening,  shivering  weight,  against  the  staggered  vessel. 

*  I  see  them,  escaped  from  these  perils,  pursuing  their  all  but 
desperate  undertaking,  and  landed  at  last,  after  a  five  months' 
passage,  on  the  ice  clad  rocks  of  Plymouth — weak  and  weary 
from  the  voyage — poorly  armed,  scantily  provisioned,  depend- 
ing on  the  charity  of  their  ship-master  for  a  draught  of  beer 
on  board,  drinking  nothing  but  water  on  shore — without  shel- 
ter— without  means — surrounded  by  hostile  tribes. 

*  Shut  now  the  volume  of  history,  and  tell  me,  on  any  prin- 
ciple of  human  probability,  what  shall  be  the  fate  of  this 
handful  of  adventurers.  Tell  me,  man  of  military  science,  in 
how  many  months  'vere  they  all  swept  off  by  the  thirty  savage 
tribes,  enumerated  within  the  early  limits  of  New  England  ? 
T*ill  me,  politician,  how  long  did  this  shadow  of  a  a}lonjr,  on 


CONsntUtiON  OF  THE  PILGRIMS. 


71 


#hich  your  conventions  and  treaties  had  not  smiled,  languish 
PI  the  distant  coast? 

'  Student  of  history,  compare  for  me  the  baffled  projects, 
the  deserted  settlements,  the  abandoned  adventures  of  other 
times,  and  find  the  parallel  of  this.  Was  it  the  wintei's  storm, 
beating  upon  the  houseless  heads  of  women  and  children  ? 
Was  it  hard  labour  and  spare  meals — was  it  disease — was  it 
the  tomahawk — was  it  the  deep  malady  of  a  blighted  hope,  a 
ruined  enterprise,  and  a  broken  heart,  aching  m  its  last  mo- 
ments, at  the  recollection  of  the  loved  and  left  beyond  the 
sea:  was  it  some  or  all  of  these  united,  that  hurried  this  for- 
eaken  company  to  their  melancholy  fate  ? 

*  And  is  it  possible  that  neither  of  these  causes,  that  not 
all  combined,  were  able  to  blast  this  bud  of  hope  ?  Is  it 
possible,  that  from  a  beginning  so  feeble,  so  frail,  so  worthy, 
not  so  much  of  admiration  as  of  pity,  there  has  gone  forth  a 
progress  so  steady,  a  growth  so  wonderful,  an  expansion  so 
ample,  a  reality  so  important,  a  promise,  yet  to  be  fulfilled, 
60  glorious  V 

The  destination  of  the  Pilgrims  was  the  mouth  of  the  Hud- 
son ;  but  by  the  treachery  of  their  captain,  who  is  supposed 
to  have  been  bribed  by  the  Dutch,  interested  in  the  colony 
of  New  Amsterdam,  they  were  conducted  to  the  inhospitable 
;oast  of  Massachusetts.  They  did  not  make  the  land  till 
he  ninth  of  November.  On  the  next  day  they  cast  anchor 
♦n  the  harbour  of  Cape  Cod. 

Before  landing,  they  adopted  a  solemn  compact  or  consti- 
tution of  government  in  the  following  words  : 

•  In  the  name  of  God,  amen  ;  we,  whose  names  are  under- 
rritten,  the  loyal  subjects  of  our  dread  sovereign  King  James, 
aving  undertaken  for  the  glory  of  God,  and  advancement  of 
he  Christian  faith,  and  honour  of  our  king  and  country,  a 
voyage  to  plant  the  first  colony  in  the  northern  parts  of  Vir- 
ginia, do  by  these  presents,  solemnly  and  mutually,  in  the 
presence  of  God,  and  of  one  another,  covenant  and  combine 
ourselves  together,  into  a  civil  body  politic,  for  our  better 
ordering  and  preservation,  and  furtherance  of  the  ends  afore- 
said ;  and  by  virtue  hereof,  to  enact,  constitute,  and  frame 
such  just  and  equal  laws,  ordinances,  acts,  constitutions,  and 
offices,  from  time  to  time,  as  shall  be  thought  most  conve- 
nient fo*"  the  general  good  of  the  colony.  Unto  which  w« 
promise  ail  due  submission  and  obedience.* 


What  was  the  destination  of  the  Pil- 

Sims  ? 
r  did  tliej  Dot  land  there  ? 


Whither  were  they  conducted  / 
What  was  their  constitutiDii  ? 


78 


LANDING   OF  THE  PILGRIMS* 


This  in&triiment  was  signed  by  the  men,  forty  one  in 
number ;  and  they,  with  their  families,  amounted  to  one  hun- 
dred and  one  persons.  As  soon  as  their  covenant  or  contract 
was  signed,  Mr.  John  Carver  was  unanimously  chosen  their 
governor  for  one  year 

The  inclemency  of  the  season  was  very  unfavourable  to 
their  undertaking.  Several  days  were  spent  in  searching  for 
a  suitable  place  to  land,  and  much  hardship  was  endured  by 
those  who  went  in  the  boats  for  this  purpose.  Some  traces 
of  the  Indians  were  discovered — a  heap  of  maize,  a  buria 
place,  and  four  or  five  deserted  wigwams.  On  the  8th  oi 
December,  Carver,  Bradford,  Winslow,  Standish,  and  eigh* 
or  ten  seamen,  being  on  shore  near  Namskeket,  on  Great 
Meadow  Creek,  were  assailed  by  a  party  of  Indians,  who 
welcomed  them  with  the  war  whoop,  and  a  flight  of  arrows. 
On  the  same  day,  they  were  near  being  wrecked  in  theii 
shallop  as  they  were  seeking  a  harbour.  They  escaped  this 
danger,  however,  and  landed  at  night  on  a  small  island.  Here 
they  kept  the  Christian  Sabbath  with  strict  observance,  and 
on  the  day  following,  December  11,  found  the  long  sought 
harbour,  to  which,  in  grateful  remembrance  of  the  friends 
they  had  left  at  their  last  port  in  England,  they  gave  the 
name  of  Plymouth. 

In  a  few  days  the  Mayflower  was  safely  moored  in  Ply- 
mouth harbour ;  the  surrounding  country  was  then  explored, 
and  a  high  ground  facing  the  bay,  where  the  land  was  cleared 
and  the  water  good,  was  selected  for  building. 

On  the  morning  of  the  20th  of  December,  1620,  after  im- 
ploring the  divine  guidance  and  blessing,  the  Pilgrims  landed 
on  the  rock  of  Plymouth.  The  spot  which  their  footsteps 
first  touched,  on  this  memorable  occasion,  has  ever  since  been 
regarded  by  their  descendants  as  sacred,  and  the  day  is  still 
celebrated  with  all  the  enthusiasm  of  religion  and  patriotism. 

When  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims  was  eflfected,  their  diffi- 
culties and  distresses  were  but  just  begun.  We  are  to  recol- 
lect that  it  was  in  the  depth  of  a  New  England  winter,  that 
their  company  was  already  sufl?*ering  with  colds  lung  fevers, 
and  incipient  consumptions,  contracted  by  thei  exposure  to 
snow,  rain,  and  the  beating  surf,  in  exploring  tiie  coa^t ;  that 
their  stock  of  provisions  was  scanty ;  and  *  lat  the  care  of 
their  wives  and  children  was  added  to  hard^iips  which  map 
hood  was  hardly  able  to  encounter. 

Who  was  chosen  goverbor  ?  I  What  passed  on  the  1 1th  / 

What  befeU  a  party  of  Item  on  the  I  When  did  the  Pilous  land  } 
%tb  of  December  }  | 


PTI,GRIM  FATHEB8  BOBMD  A  WATCH-FIBB 


DISTRESSES  OF  THE  PILGRIMS* 


79 


The  month  of  January  was  spent  in  erecting  such  tene- 
ments as  their  scanty  means  afforded.  Sickness  attended  them, 
and  mortality  thinned  their  numbers  through  the  winter; 
and  it  was  not  until  the  spring  was  far  advanced  that  health 
revisited  the  remnant  of  the  stricken  colony.  Half  their 
number  had  perished.  Carver,  their  first  governor,  died 
in  March,  and  William  Bradford  was  chosen  to  succeed 
him. 

During  this  winter  of  trial,  Standish  was  devoted  in  his 
care  of  the  sick,  and  his  own  wife  was  one  of  those  whose 
remains  were  committed  to  the  earth.  He  was  the  soldier 
of  the  colony,  brave,  energetic,  and  capable;  and  soon  made 
the  Indians  feel  that  the  new-comers  would  be  good  friends, 
and  stubborn  enemies. 

Before  spring  an  Indian  named  Squando  came  to  the 
stricken  settlement.  This  native  had  been  to  England,  and 
knew  enough  of  their  Umgnage  to  communicate  with  the 
colonists.  He  was  not  only  their  interpreter,  but  their 
friend  in  many  ways.  Under  his  guidance  they  began  to 
plant  Indian  corn  in  a  way  to  secure  a  crop  on  that  sandy 
soil,  using  fish  caught  in  seines  as  manure. 

Privation  and  want  were  still  to  be  endured.  A  reinforce- 
ment of  emigrants,  which  came  out  in  the  autumn  of  1621 
brought  no  supply  of  provisions,  and  the  colony  was  com- 
pelled to  subsist,  for  six  months  longer,  on  half  allowance. 
The  scarcity  of  provisions  continued,  with  only  occasional 
relief,  for  two  years  longer. 

A  mistaken  policy,  or  a  desire  to  conform  to  the  simplicity 
of  apostolic  times,  had  induced  the  Pilgrims  to  adopt  the 
system  of  community  of  property.  This  was  one  of  the 
causes  of  scarcity.  In  the  spring  of  1623,  each  family  was 
allowed  a  parcel  of  ground  to  cultivate  for  itself ;  and  aftei 
the  harvest  of  that  year,  no  general  want  of  food  was  ex 
perienced. 

A  profitable  commerce  was  established  with  the  Indians. 
European  trinkets  were  exchanged  for  furs,  and  the  colonists 
were  at  length  enabled  to  barter  corn  with  them  for  the  pro- 
ducts of  the  chase.  The  Indians  were  not  numerous  in  the 
vicinity  of  Plymouth,  for  before  the  arrival  of  the  English,  a 
sweeping  pestilence  had  carried  off  whole  tribes  of  them,  but 


How  was  'heir  first  winte*'  passed  ? 

When  did  Carver  die  ? 

Who  succeeded  him  ? 

When  did  a  reinforcement  arrive  ? 

What  cause  of  distress  remained  ? 

9oi  how  long  a  time  ? 


What  mistake  was  made  by  the  Pil- 
grims ? 

When  was  it  rectified  ?   How  ? 
With  whom  did  they  trade  } 
In  what  commodities  ? 
What  had  thinned  the  Iudi*Qi  } 


80 


Massasoit. 


enough  were  left  to  render  a  sort  of  military  organisation 
necessary  for  the  defence  of  the  colony,  and  Captain  Miles 
Standish,  a  man  of  great  courage  and  fortitude,  obtained  the 
chief  command. 

In  March,  1621,  the  colonists  were  visited  by  Samoset,  a 
chief  of  the  Wampanoags,  who  bade  them  welcome,  and  in 
the  name  of  his  tribe  gave  them  permission  to  occupy  the 
soil,  which  there  was  no  one  of  the  original  possessors  alive 
to  claim. 

In  the  same  month,  Massasoit,  the  greatest  king  of  the 
neighbouring  Indians,  paid  them  a  visit,  and  entered  into  a 
league  of  friendship,  which  was  inviolably  observed  for 
upwards  of  fifty  years. 

This  event  was  followed  by  others  of  the  same  character. 
A  sachem  who  had  threatened  hostilities  was  compelled  to 
sue  for  peace,  and  nine  chiefs  subscribed  an  instrument  of 
submission  to  King  James.  Canonicus,  the  sach?m  of  the 
Narragansetts,  sent  a  bundle  of  arrows  wrapped  in  a  rattle- 
snake's skin  to  the  governor,  in  token  of  defiance  ;  but  Brad- 
ford coolly  stuffed  the  skin  with  powder  and  shot,  and  re- 
turned it.  The  Indian's  courage  failed  at  the  sight  of  this 
unequivocal  symbol;  and  he  followed  the  example  of  his 
countrymen  by  subscribing  a  treaty  of  peace. 

Another  colony  was  the  means  of  involving  the  Plymouth 
settlers  in  an  Indian  war.  Weston,  one  of  the  London  ad- 
venturers, had  been  induced,  by  the  hope  of  a  lucrative  trade, 
to  obtain  a  patent  for  land  near  Weymouth  in  Massachusetts 
Bay,  and  sent  over  a  company  of  sixty  men,  who  settled  on 
the  soil,  intruded  themselves  on  the  hospitality  of  the  Ply- 
mouth colony,  were  idle  and  dissolute,  and  finally  exasperated 
1623  Indians  so  much  by  their  repeated  aggressions, 
that  a  plot  was  formed  for  the  entire  extermination 
of  the  English.  This  plot  was  revealed  by  Massasoit.  The 
governor,  on  receiving  intelligence  of  it,  ordered  Standish  to 
take  a  party  with  him  to  the  new  settlement,  and,  if  he 
should  discover  signs  of  a  plot,  to  fall  on  the  conspirators. 
Standish  took  but  eight  men;  and,  proceeding  at  once  to  the 
scene  of  action,  was  insulted  and  threatened  by  the  natives. 
Watching  a  favourable  opportunity,  he  attacked  them,  kill- 
ed several,  and  put  the  rest  to  flight. 


Who  was  the  military  leader  of  the 

Pilgrims  ^ 
Who  visited  them  ? 
Who  made  a  treaty  with  them  ? 
What  events  followed  i 


Tell  the  story  of  Canonicui. 

What  is  said  of  the  Weymoath  ctf 

lony  ? 
Of  the  Indians  ? 
Of  Standish  f 


TREACHERY  OF  PIERCE. 


81 


This  bold  and  resolute  action  disconcerted  the  Indians. 
Weston's  men  took  heart  and  killed  two  more  of  the  enemy. 
The  natives  were  at  once  thoroughly  disheartened  and 
alarmed,  and  thus  their  plot  failed. 

But  the  courage  of  the  survivors  of  Weston^s  party  gave 
out,  and  they  resolved  to  abandon  their  settlement.  The 
few  among  them  who  had  any  good  qualities  to  commend 
them  proceeded  to  Plymouth  with  Standish ;  the  rest,  aided 
by  him  with  what  corn  he  could  spare,  embarked  to  meet 
the  English  fishing  vessels,  which  were  usually  at  this  season 
off  the  banks  of  Newfoundland. 

Weston  did  not  abandon  his  project,  however,  but  came 
over  in  person  with  auother  party  of  settlers,  hoping  by  main- 
taining order  to  ensure  success  ;  but  misfortune  pursued  him. 
He  was  shipwrecked  on  the  coast,  and  stripped  by  the  Indians. 
This  utterly  disgusted  him  with  America,  and  after  experi- 
encing the  hospitality  of  the  Plymouth  colonists  he  returned 
to  England. 

The  London  merchants,  wno  nad  lent  money  to  the  Pil- 
grims on  their  departure  from  England,  had  been  admitted  to 
a  sort  of  partnership  in  the  colony,  which  was  afterwards 
productive  of  much  inconvenience.  These  merchants  used 
their  power  for  the  purpose  of  making  severe  restrictions  and 
exactions.  They  refused  a  passage  to  Mr.  Robinson,  who 
wished  to  join  his  friends  in  Plymouth  ;  endeavoured  to  force 
upon  the  colony  a  clergyman  whose  religious  opinions  were 
at  variance  with  their  own ;  and  even  attempted  to  injure 
their  commerce  by  rivalry,  extorting  from  them  exorbitant 
profits  on  supplies,  and  excessive  usury  on  money.  The 
emigrants  bore  all  this  patiently,  and  at  last  succeeded  in 
buying  o\}t  the  entire  rights  of  the  London  adventurers,  and 
relieving  themselves  from  debt,  and  its  unpleasant  conse- 
quences. 

The  first  patent  of  Plymouth  had  been  taken  out  at  the 
instance  of  Sir  Ferdinand  Gorges,  in  the  name  of  John 
Pierce,  as  trustee  for  the  adventurers.  When  the  enterprise 
assume^'  a  promising  aspect,  this  man  secretly  procured  an- 
other patent  of  larger  extent,  for  his  own  benefit,  intending 
to  hold  the  adventurers  as  his  tenants. 

He  accordingly  sent  out  ships  for  New  England ;  but  they 
were  driven  back  repeatedly  by  storms ;  and  the  losses  he 


WTiat  was  the  end  of  the  Weymouth 
colony  f 

What  if  said  of  th«  London  mer- 
ebaots  / 


How  were  their  exactions  ended  f 
How  did  the  trustee  of  the  Pilgrlmi 

abuse  his  trust  ? 
What  misfortunes  befeU  him  / 


82 


GOVERNMENT  01   THE  OLD  COLONV 


underwent  compelled  him  to  sell  his  patent  and  his  propertj 
to  the  company 

A  patent  was  afterwards  granted  for  the  lands  about  the 
Kennebec  river,  where  a  trading  establishment  had  been 
formed  ;  but  no  charter  could  ever  be  obtained  from  the  king, 
who  still  retained  his  hostility  to  the  Puritans. 

The  population  of  the  old  colony,  at  Plymouth,  increased 
slowly.  Ten  years  after  the  first  settlement  there  were  only 
three  hundred  inhabitants.  But  they  had  spread  over  a  wide 
territory,  and  become  firmly  rooted  in  the  soil. 

The  government  of  the  old  colony  was  strictly  republican* 
The  governor  was  elected  by  the  people,  and  restricted  by  a 
council  of  five,  and  afterwards  of  seven,  assistants.  The 
legislature  was  at  first  composed  of  the  whole  body  of  the 
people.  But,  as  the  population  increased,  they  adopted  the 
representative  system. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

PflOORESS  OF  THE  NEW  ENGLAND  COLONIES. 

The  old  Plymouth  company  '  for  the  plantmg,  ruling, 
ordering,  and  governing  New  England,  in  America,'  whose 
extensive  and  very  exclusive  charter  has  already  been  men- 
tioned, had  made  no  other  use  of  its  inordinate  privileges 
than  an  attempt  to  exclude  from  the  trade  and  fisheries  all 
who  would  not  pay  the  company  a  heavy  tax.  No  mono- 
poly could  be  more  odious  to  the  people  of  England  than 
this.  Their  privileges  were  violently  assailed  in  the  hous(> 
of  commons,  and  the  patentees  were  finally  compelled  to 
relinquish  their  claims.  They  continued,  however,  to  issue 
patents  for  portions  of  their  immense  territory,  to  diflferent 
companies  and  individuals. 

One  of  these  having  been  granted  to  Robert  GorgiiS,  the 
son  of  Sir  Ferdinand,  for  a  tract  extending  ten  miles  on  Mas- 
sachusetts Bay,  and  thirty  miles  into  the  interior,  he  was 
appointed  by  the  company  lieutenant-general  of  New  Eng* 


For  what  country  was  a  patent  after- 
wards granted  ? 

What  ib  said  of  tlie  population  of  the 
Plymouth  colony  ? 

What  is  said  of  the  government  ? 


What  use  did  the  old  Pljrmouth  com* 

pany  make  of  its  charter  ? 
Who  opposed  their  claims  ? 
Were  they  abandoned  ? 
What  practice  did  they  continue  ? 
^Vhat  is  said  of  Gorges's  patent  f 


SETTLEMENT  OF  MAINE. 


83 


.and,  ^  'th  extensive  powers.  But  this  grant  was  productive 
of  no  permanent  settlement,  and  the  powers  of  Gorges  were 
Lever  exercised. 

In  1622,  Sir  Ferdinand  Gorges  and  John  Mason  took  a 
patent  for  a  territory  called  Laconia,  extending  from  the  At- 
lantic to  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  from  the  Merrimac  to  the 
Kennebec.  Under  this  patent  Portsmouth  and  Dover  were 
settled,  in  1623.  A  fresh  patent,  for  the  country  between 
the  Merrimac  and  Piscataqua,  was  obtained  by  Mason  in 
1629.  This  was  the  patent  for  New  Hampshire.  Its  early 
progress  was  so  slow  that,  in  thirty  years  after  its  settle- 
ment, Portsmouth  contained  no  more  than  sixty  families. 

In  1628,  a  number  of  settlements  were  commenced  on  the 
coast  of  Maine,  under  a  succession  of  patents  granted  by  the 
Plymouth  council.  But,  as  most  of  these  were  merely  tem- 
porary, having  for  their  object  the  pursuits  of  hunting  anc 
fishing,  they  were  soon  abandoned. 

A  district  of  forty  miles  square,  which  was  called  Lygonia 
and  situated  between  Harpswell  and  the  Kennebunk  river, 
was  settled  in  1630  and  given  up  the  next  year,  the  settlers 
retiring  to  Massachusetts. 

Sir  Ferdinand  Gorges  obtained,  in  1635,  a  patent  for  the 
district  lying  between  the  Kennebec  and  the  Piscataqua,  and 
sent  his  nephew,  William  Gorges,  to  govern  the  territory, 
who  found  some  settlers  on  the  Saco  and  Kennebec. ;  but  he 
remained  in  the  country  only  two  years,  and  it  was  Ihen  left 
without  a  government.  Sir  Ferdinand  still  con*  nned  his 
schemes  for  colonisation,  and  was  subsequently  constituted 
lord  proprietary  of  the  country  by  a  royal  charter. 

New  England  would  have  increased  but  slowly  in  wealth 
and  population,  had  not  the  same  causes  which  drove  the 
Brownists  from  England  still  continued  to  operite.  The 
Puritans  were  constantly  the  objects  of  persecution  m  Eng- 
land, and  numbers  of  them  were  desirous  to  seek  an  asylum 
in  the  new  world.  Several  emigrations  were  consequently 
made  to  Massachusetts. 

Mr.  White,  a  Puritan  minister  of  DorcheJstPr,  in  England, 
bad  induced  some  merchants  and  gentlemen  to  join  him 
(1624)  in  sending  out  a  small  colony,  who  began  a  planta- 
tion at  Cape  Ann,  recognising,  however,  the  suj/^'ei^ia^  if 
the  Plymouth  settlers.   

When  was  New  Hampshire  settled  ?  I  What  was  done  ir  /Iv  it  f 
By  whom  ?  I  What  was  doi  ^  /t  G^rgr 

Whftt  £9u:t  provet  tea  slow  progress  ?  \  By  Mr.  W^hite  •  <  /a^^  / 


84  SETTLEMENT  OF   SALEM  AND  CHARLESTOWN. 

h\  1627,  Mr.  White  and  his  company  concluded  a  treaty% 
with  the  council  of  Plymouth,  for  the  purchase  of  that  part 
of  New  England  lying  three  miles  south  of  Charles  river, 
and  three  miles  north  of  Merrimac  river,  and  extending  from 
the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific.  A  small  number  of  emigrants, 
under  the  direction  of  John  Endicott,  were  soon  afterwards 
sent  out,  who  laid  the  foundation  of  Salem,  the  first  perma- 
nent town  in  the  Massachusetts  colony,  in  1628. 

The  adventurers  did  not  deem  themselves  able  to  efl!ect  all 
their  objects  without  the  aid  of  more  opulent  partners.  Some 
London  merchants  joined  them,  and  a  charter  was  obtained 
from  the  crown  confirming  the  grant  from  the  council  of  Ply- 
mouth, and  conferring  powers  of  government.  The  supreme 
authority  was  vested  in  persons  residing  in  London,  a  most 
unwise  provision,  as  the  history  of  the  Virginia  company 
suflficiently  proved.  The  patentees  were  styled  '  The  Gover- 
nor and  Company  of  Massachusetts  Bay  in  New  England.' 

The  executive  power  was  vested  in  a  governor,  deputy 
governor,  and  eighteen  assistants,  to  be  nominated  by  the 
crown,  and  afterwards  elected  by  the  company.  The  go 
vernor  and  assistants  were  to  meet  monthly  for  business. 
The  legislative  power  was  vested  in  the  body  of  the  pro- 
prietors, who  were  to  assemble  four  times  a  year,  under  the 
denomination  of  the  General  Court,  for  electing  officers,  and 
making  laws  for  the  common  weal.  The  colonists  were 
exempted  from  taxes  and  duties,  and  declared  entitled  to  all 
the  rights  and  privileges  of  Englishmen,  as  had  already  been 
done  in  the  charter  of  Virginia. 

Under  this  charter  three  vessels  sailed  in  May,  1628,  with 
ahout  two  hundred  persons,  who  reached  Salem  in  Juno, 
where  they  found  a  colony  of  one  hundred  planters  under  the 
government  of  John  Endicott. 

Not  satisfied  with  the  situation  at  Salem,  one  hundred  of 
the  company,  under  the  direction  of  Thomas  Graves,  removed 
to  Mishawum,  where  they  laid  the  foundation  of  a  town,  to 
which  they  gave  the  name  of  Charlestown.  Both  settlements 
were  united  under  the  same  government;  and  one  of  their 
first  acts  was  to  form  a  church  and  ordain  their  minister  and 


In  1627  ? 

When  waa  Salem  settled  ? 
By  whom  ? 

What  new  company  was  formed  ? 
What  form  of  government  was  es- 
tM  Uflhed  by  ^eir  charter  f 


What  exemptions  and  privileges  did 
it  grant  ? 

How  many  emigrants  came  over  in 

1628  !> 

Who  founded  Charlestown  f 
What  was  one  o'  their  first  acta  f 


SETTLEMENT  OF  BOSTON. 


85 


luling  elder,  in  which  solemnity  they  were  joined  by  a  repre- 
sentation from  the  Plymouth  colony. 

The  inconveniences,  which  would  have  resulted  from  that 
provision  of  the  charter  which  required  the  government  of  the 
colony  of  Massachusetts  to  be  resident  in  London,  had  already 
been  foreseen,  and  in  consequence  of  representations  to  that 
effect,  the  charter  was  transferred  to  those  of  the  freemen  who 
should  themselves  reside  in  the  colony.  This  gave  a  new 
impulse  to  emigration,  and  many  persons  of  various  rank* 
prepared  for  their  departure  to  the  New  World. 

The  next  year  (1630)  brought  a  fleet  with  eight  hundred 
and  forty  emigrants,  among  whom  were  governor  Winthrop, 
deputy  governor  Dudley,  and  many  other  persons  of  wealth 
and  respectability.  In  September,  of  the  same  year,  a  set- 
tlement was  formed  at  a  place  on  the  south  side  of  Charles 
river,  called  by  the  Indians  Shawmut,  and  by  the  English, 
Trimountain,  to  which  the  name  of  Boston  was  now  given. 

The  succeeding  autumn  and  winter  were  marked  by  severe 
distress.  Sickness  visited  the  colony,  and  before  December, 
two  hundred  of  their  number  had  died.  Among  these  was 
the  lady  Arabella  Johnson,  the  daughter  of  a  noble  house  in 
England,  who  had  left  the  quiet  and  luxury  of  her  home,  but 
to  leave  a  memorial  of  her  virtues  and  misfortunes  in  the  new 
country.  The  colonists  were  by  no  means  disheartened  by 
their  suflferings,  but  bore  all  with  fortitude,  in  the  hope  of 
transmitting  free  institutions  to  their  posterity. 

In  May,  1631,  at  the  first  court  of  election  in  Massachu- 
setts, *  that  the  body  of  the  commons  might  be  preserved  of 
good  and  honest  men,'  it  was  ordered  that,  from  that  time,  no 
persons  be  admitted  to  the  freedom  of  the  body  politic,  but 
such  as  were  members  of  some  of  the  churches  within  its 
limiis.  This  provision  has  been  much  censured  by  historians 
and  statesmen,  and  the  right  of  the  government  to  make  it 
has  been  questioned.  It  was  subsequently  productive  of 
much  dissension.  It  was,  however,  by  no  means  inconsistent 
with  the  spirit  of  the  age,  and  was  unquestionably  adopted 
from  the  most  upright  and  conscientious  motives. 

The  settlements  gradually  extended  n  the  neighbourhood 
of  Boston  and  Charlestown  to  such  remote  points,  that  the 
purely  democratic  form  of  government,  which  admitted  every 


What  gave  a  new  impulse  to  emigra- 
tion? 

Who  came  over  in  1630  ? 
What  town  was  then  settled  ? 
What  ensued  in  the  autumn  ? 


Who  died  f 

When  was  the  first  court  of  electioa 

held  in  Massachusetts  t 
What  law  was  made  ? 
^Vhat  is  said  of  it  ? 


86 


BANISHMENT  OF  ROGFR  WILLIAMS. 


fieeman  to  a  share  in  the  deliberations  respecting  the  public 
welfare,  was  found  to  be  very  inconvenient ;  and  accordingly, 
in  1634,  a  representative  form  of  government  was  adopted. 
The  whole  body  of  the  freemen  assembled  but  once  a  year 
for  the.  election  of  magistrates,  and  the  freemen  of  each  town 
chose  deputies  to  the  general  court,  who  were  vested  with  the 
full  power  of  all  the  freemen,  and  were  required  to  assemble 
in  general  court  four  times  a  year.  This  form  of  government 
was  retained,  with  but  slight  alterations,  during  ihe  continu- 
ance of  the  charter.  We  have  here  the  second  instance  of  a 
house  of  representatives  in  America,  the  first  having  been 
convened  in  Virginia,  June  19,  1619. 

Roger  Williams,  a  minister  of  Salem,  having  put  forth  car 
tain  tenets,  which  were  considered  heretical  and  seditious 
1634  '  tending  equally  to  sap  the  foundations  of  the  estab 
lishment  in  church  and  state,'  and  refusing  to  recanl 
and  conform  to  the  opinions  of  the  ruling  powers,  was  banished 
the  colony. 

The  heresy  which  he  promulgated  was,  *  that  the  civil 
magistrate  should  restrain  crime,  but  never  controul  opinion  ; 
should  punish  guilt,  but  never  violate  the  freedom  of  the 
soul.'*  His  firmness  on  this  occasion  made  him  the  founder 
of  a  state,  and  classed  him  among  the  most  celebrated  asser- 
tors  of  intellectual  freedom. 

His  exile  was  not  a  mere  transfer  from  one  agreeable  resi- 
dence to  another  as  agreeable.  He  was  obliged  to  go  into  the 
wilderness  of  woods  in  the  depth  of  winter ;  and  when  cast 
out  from  the  society  of  civilised  men,  for  asserting  the  noblest 
right  of  humanity,  he  found  a  shelter  among  the  untutored 
savages.  Pokanoket,  Massasoit,  and  Canonicus,  welcomed 
him  to  their  rude  wigwams,  and  thus  confirmed  a  constant 
friend  and  benefactor.  In  the  spring  he  began  to  build  and 
plant  at  Seekonk,  but  finding  that  this  place  was  within  the 
patent  of  Plymouth,  he  passed  over  the  water  with  five  com- 
panions, and  settled  on  a  spot  which,  in  token  of  his  humble 
reliance  on  the  Divine  favour,  he  called  Providence.  Under 
ihese  circumstances  was  commenced  the  settlement  of  Rhode 
Island — a  state,  whose  history  is  marked  throughout  with  the 
strongest  evidences  of  the  attachment  of  its  people  to  the  prin 
ciples  of  civil  and  religious  liberty. 


Wliat  form  of  government  was  adopted  I  What  is  said  of  Roger  Williams  ? 
in  1634  f  I  What  town  and  itate  did  he  found  f 

•  Bancroft 


WILLIAMS  IN  THE  FOREST. 


ARRIVAL  OF  PETER  AND  VANE. 


87 


At  the  election  held  in  May,  1635,  John  Haynes,  who  had 
served  as  assistant,  was  chosen  governor,  and  Endicott,  who 
had  created  trouble  by  cutting  the  red  cross  from  the  Eng- 
lish flag,  was  dropped  from  the  number  of  magistrates.  This 
election  is  memorable  as  being  the  first  recorded  to  have 
been  made  "  by  papers/^  that  is  to  say,  by  ballot.  At  that 
time  this  was  done  in  two  ways.  Sometimes  ballots  with 
the  names  of  candidates  were  dropped  into  a  box  ;  at  others 
the  officer  presiding  over  the  election  announced  a  candidate 
as  nominated.  Those  who  favoured  him  dropped  in  a  ticket 
with  his  name,  those  who  opposed  him  put  into  the  ballot- 
box  only  a  blank.  If  the  blanks  were  more  numerous, 
another  candidate  was  proposed. 

In  1635,  three  thousand  emigrants  were  added  to  the  puri- 
tan colony  of  Massachusetts.  Among  them  were  two  persons 
who  were  afterwards  remarkably  distinguished  by  their  cha- 
racters and  fortunes  ;  these  were  Hugh  Peter,  and  Henry  V  ane 
the  younger.  Peter,  who  had  formerly  been  pastor  of  a 
church  of  English  exiles  at  Rotterdam,  was  a  man  of  high 
spirit,  great  energy,  eloquence  and  ability.  Vane,  who  suf- 
fered much  censure  during  his  active  career,  is  now  pro- 
nounced by  impartial  historians  to  have  been  a  man  of 
spotless  integrity  and  pure  mind,  and  a  genuine  martyr  for 
liberty. 

The  freemen  of  Massachusetts,  captivated  by  the  talents 
and  fascinating  manners  of  Vane,  and  flattered  by  his  aban- 
donment of  ease  and  high  rank  in  England,  for  a  residence  on 
their  own  soil,  elected  him  for  their  governor.  He  was  too 
voung  and  too  little  acquainted  with  the  country  to  fulfil  with 
success  the  duties  of  so  arduous  an  office. 

The  arrival  of  Vane  was  followed  by  certain  negotiations 
with  other  men  of  noble  rank  in  England,  who  were  desirous 
40  emigrate  to  Massachusetts,  provided  they  could  continue 
there  in  the  enjoyment  of  those  hereditary  powers  and  offices, 
which  were  guaranteed  to  them  and  their  families  by  the 
British  constitution.  Their  proposals  were  received  and 
considered  by  the  leaders  and  freemen  of  the  colony ;  but, 
fortunately  for  their  posterity,  these  sagacious  republicans 
foresaw  the  evils  whirh  would  result  fro ti  s^ch  an  arrange- 
*  ment,  and  ihe  proposal  was  accordingly  declined. 

The  colony  was  not  so  fortunate  in  respect  to  another  source 


Who  came  over  in  1636  ? 

To  wbat  office  was  Vane  elected  ? 


I What  proposal  was  made  by  certain 
English  noblemen  ? 
How  was  it  treated  ? 


B8  RELIGIOUS  DISSENSIONS 

of  disorder,  religious  dissensions.  A  controversy  arose  con 
cerning  faith  and  works,  in  which  a  Mrs.  Anne  Hutchinson 
and  two  clergymen,  Mr.  Wheelwright  and  Mr.  Cotton,  es- 
poused one  side  of  the  question,  and  received  the  support  of 
governor  Vane,  while  the  lieutenant  governor  Winthrop,  and 
a  majority  of  the  ministers  and  churches,  contended  as  earnest 
ly  for  the  opposite  opinions. 

Mrs.  Hutchinson  held  weekly  conferences  for  persons  of 
her  own  sex,  and  commented  with  great  asperity  on  the  ser- 
mons delivered  by  preachers  of  the  opposite  party,  whom  she 
pronounced  to  be  *  under  a  covenant  of  works.'  The  number 
and  quality  of  her  adherents  soon  gave  the  affair  a  degree  of 
political  importance,  which  it  could  never  have  acquired  in  a 
community  where  the  church  and  state  were  not  intimately 
connected. 

The  general  court  took  up  the  matter,  and  censured  Wheel- 
wright for  sedition.  This  measure  embroiled  the  parties  still 
further ;  and  the  *  party  question'  of  the  day  was  made  the 
test  of  elections,  and  interfered  with  the  discussion  and  deci- 
sion of  every  public  measure.  The  controversy  lasted  till 
1637,  when  Anne  Hutchinson,  Wheelwright,  and  Aspinwall 
were  banished  the  colony,  and  their  adherents  were  required 
to  deliver  up  their  arms. 

Many  of  the  Antinomians,  as  the  minority  were  called 
emigrated  to  the  neighbouring  colonies.  A  considerable  num- 
ber found  shelter  with  Roger  Williams ;  and,  by  his  influence 
and  that  of  Vane,  obtained  from  Miantonomoh,  the  chief  of 
the  Narragansetts,  a  gift  of  the  beautiful  island  of  Rhode  Is- 
'and.  Wheelwright  and  some  of  his  friends  removed  to  the 
Piscataqua,  and  founded  the  town  of  Exeter.  Thus  the  into- 
lerance of  Massachusetts  became  instrumental  in  scattering 
new  settlers  over  the  face  of  the  country,  and  founding  ne\% 
communities  of  men,  who  were  ready  to  sacrifice  all  the  de 
lights  of  social  intercourse  to  the  preservation  of  the  rights  of 
conscience.  Such  men  were  worthy  to  become  the  founders 
of  new  states,  and  to  be  remembered  with  gratitude  by  those 
who  are  now  enjoying  the  blessings  which  they  so  deariy 
purchased. 

Vane,  not  being  elected  governor  a  second  time,  and  having 
witnessed  the  persecution  and  exile  of  the  party  to  which  he 
had  been  conscientiously  attached,  soon  after  returned  to  Eng- 
land, became  conspicuous  in  the  civil  wars,  and  suffered  death 


What  cause  of  disorder  now  besjan  to 
operate  ? 

"Whtt  is  laid  of  Mrs.  Hutchinson  f 


How  did  the  controversy  end  ? 
Where  did  the  exiles  settle  ? 
What  became  of  Vane  ? 


CONNECTICUT  SETTLED. 


89 


for  liis  attachment  to  the  republican  cause.  Peter  became 
chaplain  to  Oliver  Cromwell,  and,  after  the  Restoration,  suf- 
fered the  same  fate. 

The  valley  of  the  Connecticut  had  already  attracted  atten- 
tion, by  its  fertility  and  its  convenient  location  for  an  exten- 
sive internal  trade  in  furs.  The  first  proprietary  under  the 
Plymouth  council,  the  Earl  of  Warwick,  had  assigned  hi« 
grant  to  Lords  Say  and  Seal,  Lord  Brook,  and  others,  in  1631 
The  people  of  the  old  colony  at  Plymouth  had  built  a  trading 
house  at  Windsor  (1631)  for  the  purchase  of  furs  ;  and  the 
Dutch  had  settled  Hartford,  under  the  name  of  Good  Hope, 
in  1633. 

The  proprietaries  sent  out  John  Winthrop,  in  1635,  who 
erected  a  fort  at  the  mouth  of  the  Connecticut,  and  founded 
Saybrook.  Before  his  arrival,  parties  of  emigrants  from  Mas- 
sachusetts had  already  formed  settlements  at  Hartford,  Wind- 
sor, and  Wethersfield.  The  settlers  marched  through  the 
forest  to  their  new  abode,  accompanied  by  their  wives  and 
children.  This  appears  to  have  been  the  first  example  of 
/western  emigration,'  which  was  conducted  in  this  manner. 
The  march  of  the  vanguard  of  sixty  Pilgrims,  which  took 
place  late  in  autumn,  was  attended  with  much  suflfering  and 
privation. 

Next  year  a  government  was  organised  under  a  commis- 
sion from  Massachusetts  ;  and,  in  June,  a  company  of  one 
hundred  new  emigrants,  under  the  direction  of  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Hooker,  commenced  its  march  from  Massachusetts 
towards  the  new  settlement  on  the  Connecticut,  travelling 
through  the  pathless  woods  at  the  slow  rate  of  ten  miles  a 
day,  encumbered  with  their  families  and  flocks,  and  sleeping 
at  night  with  scarce  any  shelter  but  what  the  woods  afllx)rded. 
This  pilgrimage  is  not  less  remarkable  for  its  romantic  daring, 
than  for  the  high  character  of  its  leaders.  The  new  settlement 
was  surrounded  with  perils.  The  Dutch,  who  were  established 
on  the  river  were  anxious  to  exclude  the  English ;  and  the 
natives,  who  were  numerous  and  powerful  in  that  neighbour- 
hood, had  begun  to  entertain  hostile  dispositions  towards  all 
European  intruders.  / 

The  Pequods,  residing  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Thames  river 
could  bring  seven  hundred  warriors  into  the  field.   They  haJ 


Ol  Peter  ? 

What  settlements  had  been  made  in 

Connecticut  ? 
By  whom  ? 

Wfcen  was  Saybrook  settled  ? 
By  whom  ? 


8* 


What  other  places  had  been  set* 
tied? 

Describe  the  pilgrimage  ol  Mr.  Hook 

er  and  his  followers. 
What  iangers  did  they  cncotiijierr 
What  is  said  of  the  Pequods  ? 


tHE  PEQUOt)  WAH. 


already  committed  repeated  aggressions  on  the  whites,  with- 
out suflering  any  chastisement,  and  they  now  proposed  to  the 
Narragansetts  and  Mohegans  to  unite  in  a  league  for  the  utter 
extermination  of  the  race.  Fortunately  this  design  became 
known  to  Roger  Williams,  who  communicated  it  to  the  go- 
vernor of  Massachusetts  ;  and  having  received,  from  the 
governor  and  council,  letters,  requesting  his  personal  exertions 
in  dissolving  the  league,  he  went  directly  to  the  house  of  the 
eachem  of  the  Narragansetts,  and,  although  the  Pequod  chiefs 
were  already  there,  he  succeeded,  at  great  hazard  of  his  life, 
in  breaking  up  the  conspiracy.  Such  was  the  service  which 
the  persecuted  man  was  able  to  render  to  those  who  had  been 
his  persecutors. 

The  Pequods,  when  the  Narragansetts  and  Mohegans  were 
detached  from  their  alliance,  foolishly  resolved  to  prosecute 
the  war  alone.  They  commenced  hostilities  by  murdering 
the  white  people  on  their  borders ;  but  the  Connecticut  settlers 
promptly  raised  a  force  of  ninety  men,  who  were  placed 
under  the  command  of  John  Mason.  The  Massachusetts  and 
Plymouth  colonies  proceeded  to  furnish  their  contingent  of 
troops ;  but  before  they  could  arrive,  the  Connecticut  party 
were  on  their  way  to  the  scene  of  action.  By  a  rapid  march 
they  succeeded  in  surprising  the  Pequods,  in  their  camp  of 
palisades,  before  daybreak,  and,  but  for  the  barking  of  a  watch 
dog,  would  have  destroyed  them  without  resistance.  The 
warriors  rose  at  the  alarm,  and  defended  themselves  with  theif 
bows  and  arrows.  Their  superiority  of  numbers  gave  them 
some  chance  of  escape,  until  Mason  cast  firebrands  upon  tiie 
Indian  cabins,  and  set  the  whole  encampment  in  a  blaze.  The 
confusion  that  ensued  gave  the  English  an  easy  victory.  Six 
hundred  of  the  Indians,  men,  women,  and  children,  perished ; 
most  of  them  by  the  fire.  Only  two  of  the  assailants  were 
killed. 

The  following  account  is  given  by  Robertson,  of  the  cause 
which  delayed  the  arrival  of  the  force  from  Massachusetts. 

*  The  march  of  the  troops  from  Massachusetts,  which  formed 
the  most  considerable  body,  was  retarded  by  the  most  singu- 
lar cause  that  ever  influenced  the  operations  of  a  military  force. 
When  they  were  mustered,  previous  to  their  departure,  it  was 
found  that  some  of  the  oflScers,  as  well  as  of  the  private  sol 
diers,  were  still  under  a  govenant  of  works ;  and  that  the 


r 

Whvi  leagued  with  them  ? 
What  did  they  design  ? 
Wlio  broke  up  the  league  ? 


I  Who  remained  hostile  ? 

Who  marched  against  them? 
I  What  was  the  result  ? 


NBW  HAVEN  SETTLED, 


91 


blessing  of  Go]  could  not  be  implored,  or  expected  to  crown 
the  arms  of  such  unhallowed  men  with  success.  The  alarm 
WHS  general,  and  many  arrangements  necessary  in  order  to 
cast  out  the  unclean,  and  to  render  this  little  band  sufliciently 
pure  to  fight  the  battles  of  a  people  who  entertained  high  ideas 
of  their  own  sanctity.'* 

These  troops,  consequently,  only  arrived  in  time  to  hunt 
out  a  few  of  the  fugitives,  burn  their  remaining  villages,  and 
lay  waste  their  corn-fields.  Sassacus,  the  sachem  of  the  Pe- 
quods,  fled  to  the  Mohawks,  and  was  murdered.  The  rem- 
nant of  the  tribe,  two  hundred  in  number,  surrendered,  and 
were  either  enslaved  to  the  English,  or  mingled  with  the  Mo- 
hegans  and  Narragansetts.  The  Pequods  no  longer  existed 
as  a  distinct  tribe. 

Tt  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  the  Indians  were  never  danger- 
ous enemies  to  the  colonists,  until  they  had  learnt  tlie  use  of 
fire-arms.  A  handful  of  English  could  always  march  into 
their  territory,  and  conquer  a  whole  tribe,  before  the  Euro- 
pean weapons  were  brought  into  use  among  them. 

The  successful  termination  of  the  Pequod  war,  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  long  season  of  uninterrupted  peace,  during  which 
the  colonies  of  New  England  continued  to  flourish,  increas- 
ing in  wealth  and  population. 

Being  no  longer  hemmed  in  by  hostile  tribes,  the  settle- 
ments began  to  spread  beyond  the  narrow  limits  to  which 
they  had  been  confined.  The  lands  to  the  westward  seemed 
more  fertile  and  attractive  than  those  on  the  bleak  New 
England  coast.  The  Dutch  on  Hudson  river  did  indeed 
claim  the  shores  of  Long  Island  Sound,  but  Englishmen  paid 
little  attention  to  this. 

In  March,  1638,  Theophilus  Eaton  and  John  Davenport, 
a  minister,  projected  a  new  colony,  to  be  guided  in  all  things, 
civil  as  well  as  religious,  by  the  Scriptures.  Early  in  the 
spring  of  1638,  the  company,  many  of  whom  came  from 
Europe,  set  forth  by  water  from  Plymouth  for  Quinnipiack, 
thirty  miles  west  of  the  mouth  of  the  Connecticut  river. 

A  fortnight  later  they  reached  their  destination,  and  gath- 
ering beneath  an  oak  to  listen  to  Davenport,  their  spiritual 
guide,  they  formed  a  plantation  covenant,  and  established  the 
colony  of  New  Haven.    For  twenty  years  Theophilus  Eaton 


What  became  of  the  remnant  of  the  |  What  followed  the  Pequod  war  ? 
Pequods  ?  |  When  was  New  Haven  settled  ? 


♦  Neal,  i.,ie8. 


92 


tHE  THREE  CONMliCtlCtJt  C0L0Nt£8. 


sustained  the  office  of  governor.  This  was  a  separate  juris- 
diction from  that  in  the  interior,  so  that,  at  this  time,  there 
were  no  less  than  three  distinct  political  communities  in  the 
territory  now  called  Connecticut,  viz.  Saybrook,  under  the 
proprietaries,  Connecticut  colony,  under  a  commission  from 
Massachusetts,  and  New  Haven  colony,  claiming  its  territory 
by  purchase  from  the  Indians,  and  governing  itself  by  virtuf 
erf*  a  social  contract. 


CHAPTER  XH. 

THE  COLONIES  OF  NEW  ENGLAND  UNITED. 

The  increase  of  the  colonies  in  New  England,  had  already 
attracted  considerable  attention  in  the  mother  country.  Some 
of  those  who  had  fallen  under  the  censure  of  the  government 
in  Massachusetts,  had  returned  to  England,  and  busied  them- 
selves in  exciting  animosity  against  the  colony.  Gorges  and 
Mason,  who  were  rivals  to  the  leaders  of  that  colony,  joined 
in  the  clamour  against  them.  But  there  were  friends  of  the 
colonists  in  England,  who  pleaded  their  cause  with  success. 

Notwithstanding  their  exertions,  however,  an  order  in 
council  was  obtained,  for  preventing  the  departure  of  ships 
bound  with  passengers  to  New  England ;  and  a  requisition 
was  made  for  producing  the  letters  patent  of  the  company  in 
England.  This  requisition  was  evaded.  A  special  commis- 
sion was  then  issued  to  the  archbishop  of  Canterbury  and 
others,  for  regulating  the  civil  and  ecclesiastical  affairs  of  the 
colonies,  with  power  to  revoke  charters. 

When  intelligence  of  this  proceeding  reached  Boston, 
coupled  with  the  rumour  that  a  governor-general  was  on  his 
way  to  assume  the  controul  of  affaiis,  the  colonists  began  to 
prepare  tor  resistance.  Money  was  raised  for  erecting  forti- 
fications, and  the  boldest  measures  were  determined  on. 

Mean  time  the  council  of  Plymouth  had  resigned  its  char- 
ter, after  parcelling  out  the  territory  among  its  members, 
which  they  had  already  granted  by  patents  to  others.  They 


Enumerate  the  separate  political 
communities  existing  in  Connec- 
ticut. 

What  is  said  of  the  New  England  co- 
lonies f 
Of  Gorges  and  Mason  ? 


What  hostile  measures  were  threat- 
ened in  England  ? 

What  was  the  effect  of  this  news  u 
New  England  ? 

What  is  said  of  the  council  of  Ply 
mouth  } 


PERSBJUTION  ON  THE  PURITANS. 


9 


were  not  able,  however,  to  take  possession  of  the  territory 
thus  clauned,  without  the  aid  of  government.  At  their  in- 
stance a  quo  warranto  was  issued  against  the  company  of 
Massachusetts'  Bay,  and  jud^rnaent  was  pronounced  against 
Its  members.  The  other  patentees  of  the  Plymouth  company 
were  outlawed.  But  the  death  of  Mason,  their  most  active 
enemy,  and  the  civil  disturbances  in  England,  prevented  any 
further  proceedings  for  the  time. 

The  persecution  of  Puritans  raged  with  great  fury  in  Eng- 
land. The  punishments  of  scourging,  mutilation,  imprison- 
ment, and  the  pillory  were  inflicted  on  great  numbers  of 
them ;  and  when  they  attempted  to  fly  from  their  persecutors 
to  the  safe  asylum  of  the  New  World,  the  ships  in  which 
they  proposed  to  embark  were  detained.  In  1638,  a  squad- 
ron of  eight  ships,  preparing  to  sail  for  New  England,  was 
detained  in  the  Thames,  by  order  of  the  privy  council.  Thia 
detention  lasted,  however,  but  a  few  days. 

It  has  been  afliirmed  by  historians,  that  Hampden  and 
Cromwell  were  about  to  embark  in  this  fleet ;  but  Mr.  Ban- 
croft, in  his  history,  has  conclusively  shown  that  this  asser- 
tion is  without  foundation. 

During  the  civil  wars  of  England,  the  colonies  were  left  in 
a  state  of  peace  and  prosperity.  The  population  increased 
rapidly.  Twenty-one  thousand  two  hundred  emigrants  had 
arrived  before  the  assembling  of  the  Long  Parliament,  and  a 
million  of  dollars  had  been  expended  on  the  plantations. 
Agriculture,  ship  building,  the  fisheries,  and  an  extensive 
commerce  in  furs,  lumber,  grain,  and  fish  were  the  chiefs 
pursuits  of  the  inhabitants.  Their  institutions  of  religion 
and  civil  government  were  highly  favourable  to  habits  of  in- 
dustry and  economy ;  labour  rendered  their  soil  productive, 
and  the  natural  result  was  a  rapid  increase  of  wealth  and 
population. 

The  members  of  the  Long  Parliament,  being  Puritan* 
themselves,  were  disposed  to  extend  every  encouragement  to 
the  Puritan  colonies.  They  freed  the  colonists  from  all  -^g^^ 
taxation  on  exports  and  imports,  and  declared  their  ap- 
probation of  the  enterprise  in  which  they  were  engaged.  The 
colonists  accepted  the  courtesy,  but  were  careful  to  avoid  too 
close  a  connection  with  these  unsought  friends. 


What  prevented  further  proceedings  ? 
What  is  said  of  the  Puritans  ? 
Of  Hampden  and  CromweU  ? 
Of  the  populatioii  of  New  England  ? 


The  pursuits  and  institutions  of  the 

people  ? 
Of  the  Long  Parliamert  f 
Of  the  colonistfl  ^ 


94 


NEW  ENGLAVB  COLONIES  UNITED. 


In  1641,  New  Hampshire  W2.s  annexed  to  Massachusetts, 
by  request  of  the  people,  and  on  equ-^^  terms ;  the  inhabitants 
of  the  former  province  not  being  requn^d  to  qualify  its  fr'?e- 
men  or  deputies,  for  a  participation  in  the  business  of  legisla- 
tion, hy  church  membership. 

As  early  as  1637,  a  union  of  the  (olonies  of  New  England 
had  been  proposed  at  a  meeting  of  the  leading  magistrates 
and  elders  of  Connecticut,  held  in  Boston  ;  but  it  was  not 
until  1643,  that  a  confederation  was  effected,  embracing  the 
•separate  goveinments  of  Massachusetts,  Plymouth,  Connec- 
ticut, and  New  Haven,  under  the  title  of  the  United  Colonies 
of  New  England.  Their  declared  object  was  the  protection 
•f  the  lives,  property,  and  liberties  of  the  whole,  against 
foreign  or  internal  dangers.  The  local  jurisdiction  of  the 
several  states  was  carefully  guarded.  Two  commissioners 
from  each  colony  were  to  assemble  annually  to  deliberate  on 
the  affairs  of  the  confederacy.  The  measures  which  they 
determined  were  merely  recommended  to  the  several  colonies, 
to  be  carried  into  effect  by  their  local  authorities. 

Rhode  Island  was  excluded  from  the  union,  because  it 
declined  to  come  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Plymouth  ;  and 
the  people  of  Providence  Plantations  and  Maine  were  not 
admitted  on  account  of  the  want  of  harmony  between  their 
religious  views  and  those  of  the  members  of  the  confederacy. 

One  of  the  chief  offices  of  the  commissioners  of  the  United 
Colonies  was  the  regulation  of  Indian  affairs  ;  and  their  m- 
tervention  was  required  soon  after  they  had  become  organised. 
Miantonomoh,  the  sachem  of  the  Narragansetts,  orompted 
by  an  ancient  grudge  against  Uncas,  chief  of  the  Mohegans, 
suddenly  gathered  his  warriors,  to  the  number  of  1000,  and 
fell  upon  the  hated  tribe  with  great  fury.  He  was  defeated 
and  taken  prisoner ;  and  Uncas  applied  to  the  commissioners 
for  advice  respecting  the  manner  in  which  he  should  be  dis- 
posed of.  They  inquired  into  the  circumstances  of  the  affair, 
and  finding  that  Miantonomoh  had  killed  a  servant  of  Uncas, 
in  time  of  peace,  they  pronounced  him  guilty  of  murder. 
How  far  an  independent  chieftain  was  amenable  to  their  tri- 
bunal may  be  doubted.  The  Indian  customs  warranted  his 
execution,  and  accordingly  he  was  put  to  death  by  Uncas 
himself,  on  a  spot  beyond  the  jurisdiction  of  the  colony, 


Of  New  Hampshire  ? 
What  was  done  in  1637  ? 
In  1643? 

What  was  the  object  of  this  union  ? 


What  colonies  were  excluded  ? 

Why  ? 

Relate  the  affair  of  Ikliantosoiiio* 

and  Uncas. 


miKUS  AND  MIAJfTONOMOB; 


ROGER  WILLIAMS  IN  ENGLAND. 


96 


His  tribo  were  greatly  exasperated,  but  durst  not  attempt  t€ 
avenge  his  death. 

In  1646,  the  people*  of  Connecticut  purchased  the  territory 
at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  from  the  assigns  of  the  Earl  of 
Warwick. 

Rhode  Island,  having  been  excluded  from  the  union  of  the 
colonies,  sought  the  immediate  protection  of  the  mother 
country.  For  this  purpose  the  government  despatched  Roger 
Williams  himself,  the  founder  of  the  colony,  to  England.  He 
was  warmly  received  by  the  republicans,  who  had  then  the 
controul  of  affairs,  and  found  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  from 
parliament,  a  free  and  absolute  charter  of  civil  government. 

On  his  return,  he  took  letters  of  safe  conduct  from  parlia- 
ment, and  landed  at  Boston,  whence,  it  will  be  recollected, 
he  had  been  banished  with  an  ignominy  as  signal  as  his  return 
was  now  triumphant.  His  return  to  his  own  slate  was 
marked  with  every  demonstration  of  joy  and  welcome.  On 
his  arrival  at  Seekonk,  he  was  met  by  a  fleet  of  canoes, 
manned  by  the  people  of  Providence,  and  conducted  joyously 
to  the  opposite  shore. 

The  aflfairs  of  Rhode  Island  were  not  yet  finally  settled. 
The  executive  council  in  England  had  granted  to  Coddington 
a  separate  jurisdiction  of  the  islands.  Justly  apprehending 
that  this  would  lead  to  the  speedy  dissolution  of  their  little 
state,  and  the  annexation  of  its  ports  to  the  neighbouring  go- 
vernments, the  people  sent  Williams  again  to  England,  ac- 
companied by  John  Clark;  and  the  danger  was  removed  by 
the  rescinding  of  Coddingtoh's  commission,  and  the  confirma 
lion  of  the  charter.  (1652.) 

The  province  of  Maine  had  made  but  little  progress  under 
the  auspices  of  Sir  Ferdinand  Gorges,  as  lord  proprietary. 
He  had  granted  a  city  charter  to  the  town  of  York,  which 
contained  some  300  inhabitants,  and  sent  out  his  cousin 
Thomas,  to  support  the  dignity  of  a  deputy  governor.  He 
had  expended  much  time  and  money  on  his  favourite  scheme 
of  colonisation,  but  died  at  an  advanced  age,  without  realis- 
ing any  benefit  from  it. 

After  his  death  a  dispute  arose  between  the  colonists  who 
were  settled  under  his  charter,  and  those  who  had  settled 
under  Rigby's  patent,  for  Lygonia.    The  magistrates  of  the 


What  took  place  in  1646  ? 
What  is  related  of  Roger  Williams  ? 
How  was  he  received  on  his  re- 
turn? 


Wliat  was  the  occasion  of  his  8€Cond 

visit  to  England  ? 
What  was  the  result  ? 
What  is  related  of  Gorges  ? 
What  dispute  arose  after  his  death  7 


96 


MAINE  UNITED  WITH  MASSACnUSETTS. 


neighbouring  colony  of  Massachusetts  were  appealcl  to  by 
both  parties  ;  and  after  a  hearing,  the  litigants  were  informed 
that  neither  had  a  clear  right,  and  were  recommended  to  live 
in  peace.  The  heirs  of  Gorges  seemed  to  have  forgotten  the 
care  of  his  colony,  and  his  agents  withdrew.  Under  these 
circumstances,  the  inhabitants  of  Piscataqua,  York,  and  Wells 
j^ccepted  the  ofler  of  Massachusetts  to  place  themselves  under 
1652  protection.  The  province  was  formally  annexed 
to  the  Bay  colony,  and  the  towns,  situated  farther  east, 
readily  sent  in  their  adhesion. 

In  1655,  Oliver  Cromwell  offered  the  people  of  New  Eng- 
land a  settlement  in  the  Island  of  Jamaica,  provided  they 
would  emigrate  thither,  and  possess  its  fertile  lands,  and 
orange  groves.  But  the  people  were  too  much  attached  to  the 
country  of  their  adoption  to  listen  to  such  a  proposal.  They 
would  have  considered  it  a  species  of  sacrilege,  to  abandon 
to  the  savages  the  consecrated  asylum  of  their  religion. 
The  protector's  offer  was  respectfully  declined. 

The  religious  sentiments  of  the  Puritan  colonists  gave  a 
peculiar  character  to  all  their  institutions.  Religion  waa 
with  them  an  affair  of  state ;  and  to  preserve  its  purity  was 
considered  a  paramount  duty  of  the  civil  magistrate.  We 
have  seen  the  effects  of  this  principle  in  the  history  of  the 
Antinomian  controversy,  which  led  to  the  expulsion  of  Anne 
Hutchinson,  and  her  disciples.  It  was  now  applied  to  the 
Anabaptists  and  Quakers. 

Clarke,  a  baptist  of  Rhode  Island,  of  exemplary  character, 
was  fined  for  preaching  at  Lynn,  and  Holmes,  for  refusing  to 
pay  a  fine,  inflicted  for  his  religious  opinions,  was  publicly 
whipped. 

The  union  of  church  and  state  had  become  so  intimafco 
that  offences  against  religion,  as  it  was  understood  by  the 
governing  powers,  were  treated  as  civil  crimes.  Absence 
from  public  worship  was  punished  by  a  fine.  The  utterance 
cf  certain  opinions  was  denounced  as  blasphemy,  and  visited 
with  fine,  imprisonment,  exile,  or  death.  Ministers  not 
ordained  in  the  regular  manner,  were  silenced  by  the  publii 
authorities ;  and  the  very  men,  who  had  fled  from  England 
to  gain  an  asylum  for  religious  freedom,  were  refusing  the 
slightest  toleration  to  any  religious  opinions  but  their  own. 

It  is  not  surprising  that,  in  this  state  of  the  colony,  certain 


How  was  it  settled  ? 
To  what  colony  was  Maine  annexed  ? 
What  offer  was  made  by  Cromwell  ? 
W«f  it  accepted  ? 


What  sects  were  now  persecuted? 
Why? 

What  measures  were  taken  by  ^ 
government  ? 


PKRSECUTION   OF  QUAKIRft. 


members  of  the  society  of  Friends,  who  came  into  Massachu- 
setts, and  made  known  their  sentiments,  were  dealt  with  in  % 
summary  manner.  Mary  Fisher  and  Ann  Austin,  members 
of  the  society,  who  arrived  in  Boston  in  July,  1656,  were 
put  in  close  custody  for  five  weeks,  and  then  banished.  A 
special  law  was  passed,  prohibiting  their  admission  into  the 
colony;  and  a  fine  was  imposed  on  such  as  should  entertain 
them.  The  Quakers  not  being  deterred  from  visiting  the 
forbidden  ground  by  these  regulations,  a  law  was  finally 
passed  which  banished  them  on  pain  of  death.  Several 
persons  were  actually  hanged  under  this  enactment.  Such 
proceedings  evince  at  once  the  peculiar  delusion  of  the  times, 
and  the  dangerous  tendency  of  a  union  of  church  and  state. 
It  is  fortunate  that  this  delusion  was  temporary  ;  and  that  the 
unnatural  combination  which  led  to  it,  was  soon  dissolved. 

The  people  of  New  England  were  early  impressed  with 
the  importance  of  a  provision  for  general  instruction.  In 
1647,  a  law  was  passed  for  the  establishment  of  public 
schools,  requiring  one  in  every  township  containing  fifty 
householders ;  and  a  grammar  school  where  boys  could  be 
fitted  for  college  in  every  town  containing  one  hundrt  d 
families.  A  sum  equal  to  a  year's  rate  of  the  whole  coloiiy 
of  Massachusetts  had  been  voted  for  the  erection  of  a  college, 
in  1636;  and  in  1638,  John  Harvard,  who  died  soon  after 
his  arrival  in  this  country,  bequeathed  half  his  estate  and  all 
his  library  to  the  college.  The  institution  has  ever  since 
borne  his  name.  It  was  supported  with  great  zeal  not  only 
by  the  inhabitants  of  the  Bay  colony,  but  by  all  the  other 
members  of  the  New  England  confederacy  ;  and  the  example 
of  Massachusetts  was  followed  by  the  others  in  the  establish- 
ment of  public  schools.  The  benefits  of  this  early  and  con- 
stant attention  to  education  have  been  felt  in  every  peri.  <i  of 
their  history  ;  and  the  character  which  it  has  impressed  on 
the  peoj^le  of  New  England  has  given  them  a  degree  of 
influence  and  importance  in  the  Union,  which  could  ha^ve 
been  acquired  by  no  other  means. 


What  Quakers  were  persecuted  ? 
What  is  observed  of  these  proceed- 
ings ? 

What  law  was  passed  in  1647  ? 
I^Qj.  ^  hat  was  a  sum  of  money  voted  ? 


Who  was  the  founder  of  Uarrard 
College  ? 

What  other  colonies  founded  schoo 
and  colleges  ? 


THE  REGICIDES  IN  NEW  £NGLAlf» 


CHAPTER  XIII 


NEW  ENGLAND  AFTER  THE  RESTORATION. 


The  restoration  of  Charles  IT  could  hardly  be  consideref* 
an  auspicious  event  by  the  people  of  New  England.  On  thf 
1660  ^^^^^^^y>  afforded  them  the  strongest  reason  to  ex- 
pect an  abridgment  of  their  commercial  advantages,  and 
an  attack  upon  their  religious  and  political  privileges.  They 
were  accordingly  in  no  haste  to  recognise  the  royal  authority. 
In  July,  1660,  Whaley  and  Goffe,  two  of  the  late  king's 
judges,  arrived  in  Boston,  and  announced  the  restoration  of 
Charles  II,  but  represented  the  mother  country  as  being  in  a 
very  unsettled  state.  They  were  freely  permitted  to  travel 
through  New  England,  and  received  many  attentions  from  the 
inhabitants. 

When,  at  length,  it  was  known  that  the  king's  authority 
was  firmly  established  in  England,  and  that  complaints  agains* 
the  colony  of  Massachusetts  had  been  presented  to  the  privy 
rooncii  and  both  houses  of  parliament,  by  Quakers,  royalists, 
ajid  others  adverse  to  its  interests,  the  people  became  con- 
vinced of  the  necessity  of  decisive  action.  A  general  court 
was  convened,  and  an  address  was  voted  to  the  king,  vin- 
dicating the  colony  from  the  charges  of  its  enemies,  professing 
the  most  dutiful  attachment  to  the  sovereign,  and  soliciting 
protection  for  their  civil  and  ecclesiastical  institutions.  A 
similar  address  was  made  to  parliament,  and  the  agent  of  the 
colony  was  instructed  to  exert  himself  to  obtain  a  continuance 
of  the  commercial  immunities  which  had  been  granted  by  the 
l.u'W  Parliament. 

Before  he  had  time  to  obey  these  instructions,  a  duty  of 
five  per  cent,  on  exports  and  imports  had  already  been  im- 
posed ;  and  before  the  session  closed,  the  famous  navigation 
act  was  reenacted.  The  king  returned  a  gracious  answer  tc 
the  colonial  address,  accompanied  by  an  order  for  the  appre* 
hension  of  Goflfe  and  Whaley. 

This  small  measure  of  royal  favour  was  joyfully  received, 
and  a  day  of  thanksgiving  was  appointed,  to  acknowledge 
the  favour  of  Heaven  in  disposing  the  king  to  clemency.  A 


What  is  said  of  the  Restoration  ?  By  parliament  ? 

What  happened  in  July,  1660  ?  By  the  king  ? 

What  was  at  length  done  by  the  ge-  By  the  coloniftf 
aeraJ  eourt  ? 


THE  king's  letter 


/)rmaA  requisition  for  the  regicide  judges  was  sent  to  New 
Haven  whither  they  had  gone  ;  but  matters  were  so  ar- 
ranged that  they  escaped  from  their  pursuers,  and  lived  in 
New  England  to  the  end  of  their  days. 

Apprehensions  of  danger  to  their  civil  and  religious  righ*« 
were  still  felt  by  the  colonists,  notwithstanding  the  bL4*d 
professions  of  the  king.  Rumours  of  a  meditated  attack  vifl 
their  commercial  privileges,  and  of  the  coming  of  a  governor- 
general  for  all  North  America,  were  seriously  believed. 
This  led  to  the  famous  Declaration  of  Rights  on  the  part  of 
Massachusetts,  in  which  the  powers  and  duties  of  the  colony 
were  very  clearly  and  ably  defined.  Having  thus  declared 
the  terms  on  which  his  authority  should  be  recognised,  the 
general  court  caused  the  king  to  be  solemnly  proclaimed  as 
their  undoubted  prince  and  sovereign  lord. 

Agents  were  then  sent  over  to  England  to  protect  the  inte- 
rests of  the  colony,  who  were  favourably  received,  and  soon 
returned  to  Boston,  bringing  a  letter  from  the  king  confirm- 
mg  the  colonial  charter,  and  granting  an  amnesty  to  all  po- 
litical offenders  who  were  not  already  attainted  for  high  trea- 
son ;  but  requiring  that  he  oath  of  allegiance  should  be 
administered;  that  justice  should  be  distributed  in  the  king's 
name  ;  that  the  church  of  England  should  be  tolerated  ;  and 
that  the  qualification  of  church  membership  for  civil  officers 
should  be  dispensed  with. 

Of  all  these  requisitions,  the  only  one  which  was  com- 
plied with  was  that  which  directed  the  judicial  proceedings 
to  be  conducted  in  the  king's  name.  The  others  were  pub- 
lished, but  reserved  for  deliberation.  The  agents,  Brad- 
street  and  Norton,  who  had  returned  with  the  letter,  were  so 
severely  reproached  for  not  being  able  to  procure  better  terms 
of  acceptance  with  the  king,  that  one  of  them,  Norton,  actu- 
ally died  of  a  broken  heart.  His  unhappy  fate  seemed  to 
convince  the  colonists  of  their  injustice,  and  his  death  was« 
universally  and  sincerely  mourned. 

Rhode  Island  was  not  backward  in  acknowledging  the 
restored  king.  He  was  early  proclaimed  in  the  colony,  and 
an  agent,  being  despatched  to  England,  soon  succeeded  in 
obtaining  a  charter  whic.i  granted  the  most  ample  privileges. 


What  18  said  of  the  regicides  ? 

Of  the  declaration  of  rights  ? 

Cf  the  general  court  ? 

"H  the  agents  sent  to  England  ? 

Whmt  terms  were  offered  by  the  kin^ } 


How  were  they  disposed  of  ? 
What  is  said  of  the  agents  after  their 
return  ? 

Of  Rhode  Island  and  its  new  chai< 
ter? 


100 


NEW  CHARTERS  GRANTED 


It  gave  to  the  patentees  the  title  of  the  Governor  and  Com 
pany  of  the  English  Colony  of  Rhode  Island  and  Providence. 
The  form  of  government,  prescribed  by  it,  was  the  usual  one 
of  a  governor,  assistants,  and  representatives  elected  by  the 
freemen.  It  was  received  with  the  greatest  satisfaction,  as  it 
confirmed  to  the  colonists  the  democratical  constitution  to 
which  they  had  always  been  accustomed. 

Connecticut  deputed  John  Winthrop,  son  of  the  celebrated 
governor  of  Massachusetts,  as  their  agent  at  court,  who  hii 
no  difficulty  in  obtaining  a  charter  in  almost  every  respect 
the  same  with  that  which  had  been  granted  to  Rhode  Island. 
It  differed  from  it,  however,' in  requiring  the  oaths  of  alle- 
giance and  supremacy  to  be  administered  to  the  inhabitants 
By  the  new  charter  New  Haven  was  united  with  Connecti- 
cut ;  an  arrangement  which  was  for  some  time  opposed  by 
the  people  of  the  former  colony,  although  they  finally  con- 
curred in  it.  Winthrop,  on  his  return,  was  cordially  wel- 
comed ;  and  was  annually  chosen  governor  of  the  colony 
during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

The  privileges  confirmed  by  these  charters  were  subse- 
quently of  immense  importance  to  the  cause  of  liberty. 

The  English  government  had  always  questioned  the  light 
of  the  Dutch  to  their  settlements  m  what  are  now  called  the 
Middle  States ;  the  history  and  extent  of  which  we  shall 
notice  in  another  place.  Charles  II  now  resolved  to  dispos- 
sess them,  and  accordingly  granted  the  territory  to  his  bro- 
ther, the  Duke  of  York,  who  sent  Colonel  Nichols,  with 
four  ships  and  three  hundred  soldiers,  for  the  purpose  of  taking 
possession.  In  the  same  ships  came  four  commissioners, 
*  empowered  to  hear  and  determine  complaints  and  appeals 
in  causes,  as  well  military  as  civil;  within  New  England, 
and  to  proceed  for  settling  the  peace  and  security  of  the 
country.*  Their  real  object  was  to  find  pretexts  for  recall 
ing  the  liberal  charters  of  the  colonies.  (1664.) 

The  people  and  government  of  Massachusetts  were  awake 
to  their  danger,  and  exhibited  an  admirable  mixture  of  firm 
iiess  and  address  in  a  crisis  so  alarming.  On  the  arrival  oj 
ihe  commissioners  in  Boston,  their  credenti^ils  were  lain 
before  the  council,  with  a  letter  from  the  king,  requiring 


Connecticut  ? 

Of  John  Winthrop  ? 

For  what  purpose  was  Colonel  Ni- 
choli  sent  fron*  England  to  Ame- 
rica / 


For  what  pretended  objects  were 

commissioners  sent  with  hiflo  ? 
What  was  their  real  object  ? 
What  is  said  of  Massaciiusects  ? 
Oi  tne  commissioners  ? 


COLONIAL  CHARTERS  ENDANGERED. 


101 


prompt  assistance  in  the  expedition  against  New  Nether- 
lands, The  general  court  was  convened,  and,  after  declaiing 
their  loyalty  and  their  attachment  to  the  charter,  voted  a  sub- 
sidy of  two  hundred  men.  Meantime  Colonel  Nichols  pro- 
ceeded to  Manhattan,  and  reduced  the  colony  before  the 
Massachusetts  troops  could  arrive,  so  that  their  services  were 
never  required. 

The  commissioners  now  called  the  attention  of  the  general 
court  to  the  king's  letter,  received  two  years  before,  but  not 
much  regarded.  Their  recommendation  was  complied  with 
<o  far,  that  a  law  was  passed  extending  the  elective  franchise 
o  persons  who  were  not  church  members.  The  assembly 
ext  transmitted  a  letter  to  the  king,  expressive  of  their  ap- 
prehension of  danger  to  their  rights,  from  the  extraordinary 
powers  of  the  commissioners,  and  concluding  with  these 
remarkable  words:  'Let  our  government  live;  our  patent 
live  ;  our  magistrates  live ;  our  religious  enjoyments  live  • 
so  shall  we  all  yet  have  farther  cause  to  say  from  our  hearts, 
let  the  king  live  for  ever.' 

The  commissioners,  meantime,  had  proceeded  to  the  other 
colonies.  In  Plymouth  and  in  Rhode  Island  they  met  with 
no  opposition.  In  Connecticut  they  were  rather  civilly  re- 
ceived, and  found  no  reason  for  complaint.  In  New  Hamp* 
shire  and  Maine  they  decided  in  favour  of  the  claims  of 
Gorges  and  Mason,  and  erected  a  royal  government  in  those 
provinces.  They  then  returned  to  Boston,  and  renewed 
their  disputes  with  the  general  court,  which  were  continued 
with  great  animosity  until  the  commissioners  were  recalled, 
and  Massachusetts  was  ordered  to  send  agents  to  England  to 
answer  complaints  against  their  proceedings.  This  order 
was  evaded. 

Massachusetts,  soon  afterwards,  resumed  her  authority 
over  New  Hampshire  and  Maine. 

After  the  departure  of  the  commissioners.  New  England 
enjoyed  a  season  of  prosperous  tranquillity.  The  king  was 
too  much  engrossed  by  the  calamities  and  discontents  of  his 
subjects  at  home  to  disturb  the  colonies. 

This  state  of  repose  was  interiupted  by  the  famous  war 
of  King  Philip.    This  prince  was  the  second  son  of  Massa- 


The  general  court  ? 

Colonel  Nichols  ? 

01  the  king's  letter  ? 

What  law  was  passed  ? 

WhzX  was  expresseiJ  m  the  letter  to 


What  was  done  by  the  commistioncn 

in  the  other  colonies  ? 
What  passed  on  their  relaai  to  Bos* 
ton? 

After  their  departure  for  lL"2|;lui^  ? 
What  war  ensued  f 


102 


KING  Philip's  war. 


soil  but  he  was  far  from  inheriting  the  pacific  aLd  friendlj 
disposition  of  his  father.  He  was  engaged  for  5ve  years  in 
maturing  an  extensive  conspiracy,  which  had  for  its  object 
the  utter  extermination  of  the  English  colonies.  Ii*  1675, 
he  commenced  hostilities,  and,  by  means  of  alliance  with 
other  tribes,  he  was  able*to  bring  three  thousand  warriorg 
into  the  field.  Massachusetts,  Plymouth,  and  Connecticut 
united  in  opposing  him.  The  war  raged  with  great  fury, 
and  With  various  success,  until  August,  1676,  when  Philip, 
after  a  series  of  disasters,  in  which  his  family  and  chief 
counsellors  were  all  destroyed,  himself  fell  a  victim  to  the 
treachery  of  one  of  his  own  tribe.  The  tribes  bordering  on 
Maine  and  New  Hampshire,  who  had  risen  at  the  same  time, 
abandoned  the  war  on  receiving  the  news  of  Philip's  death. 

While  this  war  was  raging,  the  King  of  England  was  en- 
deavouring to  wrest  from  Massachusetts  the  controul  of  New 
Hampshire  and  Maine.  He  had  been  for  some  time  treating 
for  the  purchase  of  these  provinces  from  the  heirs  of  Masor» 
and  Gorges,  intending  to  bestow  them  on  his  son,  the  Duke 
of  Monmouth;  but  while  he  delayed  to  complete  the  negotia 
tion,  Massachusetts  purchased  Maine  for  1,200  pounds,  and 
refused  to  give  it  up.  New  Hampshire  havmg  become  a 
distinct  colony,  the  legislature  expressed  a  lively  regret  at 
being  obliged,  by  the  will  of  the  sovereign,  to  relinquish  their 
connection  with  Massachusetts. 

The  laws  restricting  commerce  were  made  the  subject  of 
dispute  between  the  colony  of  Massachusetts  and  the  crown. 
Randolph,  an  active  enemy  of  the  colonial  government,  was 
Bent  over  to  act  as  collector  at  Boston.  He  was  almost  always 
unsuccessful  in  his  suits  for  the  recovery  of  duties,  and  finally 
returned  to  England.  The  controversy  lasted  until  Massa- 
chusetts was  compelled  to  relinquish  her  charter.  (1684.) 
Charles  II  died  before  completing  his  system  for  the  complete 
subjugation  of  New  England. 

His  successor,  James  II,  appointed  a  president  and  council 
as  a  temporary  government  for  Massachusetts,  New  Hamp- 
shire, Maine,  and  the  Narragansetts.  These  commissioners 
proceeded  with  great  moderation,  and  were  superseded  by  the 
appointment  of  Sir  Edward  Andros,  as  captain-general  and 


What  was  Philip's  force  ? 

How  long  did  the  war  rage  f 

How  did  U  terminate  P 

R«iaie  the  circumstances  attending 

the  purchase  of  Maine. 
Wlmt  became  a  lubjoct  of  dispute  / 


Wiat  state  lost  its  ''barter.' 
Who  succeeded  Charles  II  ? 
What  sort  ^f  government  did  he  ap 
point  ? 

Wha*  jUice  did  he  ^ve  to  Andm/ 


REVOLUTION  OF  1688. 


103 


fiee-a3miral  of  Massachusetts,  New  Hampshire,  Maine,  New 
Plymouth,  Pemaquid,  and  Narragansett,  with  a  council  to  be 
appointed  by  the  crown,  to  make  laws  and  lay  taxes. 

Andros  arrived  in  Boston  in  1685,  and  revoked  the  charter 
of  Rhode  Island,  notwithstanding  the  submission  of  thai 
colony.  Connecticut  would  have  shared  the  same  fate,  but 
the  charter  was  concealed  in  a  tree  until  the  danger  was  past. 
The  charter  oak  was,  for  ages  after,  held  in  remembrance. 

The  administration  of  Andros  was  rendered  odious  to  the 
people  by  a  variety  of  exactions  and  oppressive  regulations. 
Their  land  titles  were  declared  void,  and  new  patents  were 
offered  at  enormous  prices.  The  object  of  the  royal  governor 
appears  to  have  been  to  amass  a  fortune  for  himself,  to  break 
the  charters,  and  unite  the  several  colonies  in  one,  for  the 
purpose  of  effectually  resisting  the  encroachments  of  the 
French  from  Canada. 

Mather,  an  ancient  divine  and  politician,  was  sent  to  Eng- 
land to  obtain  redress  ;  but  the  king  was  inflexible  in  his 
purpose  of  uniting  the  colonies,  and  annexed  New  York  and 
the  Jerseys  to  the  government  of  Andros. 

The  relief  which  he  denied  was  brought  by  the  revolution 
of  .  688,  which  was  no  sooner  known  in  Boston  than  the 
inhabitants  joyfully  proclaimed  the  new  sovereigns,  William 
and  Mary,  They  had  already,  on  the  first  rumour  of  the 
arrival  of  the  sovereigns  in  England,  imprisoned  Andros  and 
fifty  of  his  adherents,  and  restored  the  government  to  the 
ancient  magistrates.  This  example  was  speedily  followed 
by  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island. 

New  Hampshire  was  re-annexed  to  Massachusetts  by  its 
own  act ;  but  subsequently  separated  by  the  desire  of  King 
William. 

The  revolution  of  1688  afllbrded  the  people  of  Massachu- 
setts grounds  for  expecting  the  restitution  of  their  charter. 
Agents  were  sent  to  England  for  this  purpose,  but  their  efforts 
were  not  attended  with  success.  The  king  was  determined 
to  reUin  at  his  own  disposal  the  appointment  of  governor. 
He  was,  however,  at  length  induced  to  grant  a  new  charter 


How  did  Andros  proceed  with  Rhode 
Island  ? 

Hov  was  the  charter  of  Connecticut 
<aved  ? 

What  were  the  acts  of  Andros's  ad- 
ministration ? 
What  was  his  object  ? 
Wlio  was  teut  to  England  / 


For  what  purpose  ? 
With  what  success  ? 
What  brought  lelief? 
How  was  the  news  received  ? 
What  had  the  Bostonians  done  ? 
What  was  done  in  the  other  New 
England  colonies/ 


104 


TlORbER  WAtlS. 


ai though  of  a  less  lilKnal  character  than  the  former  one.  It 
gave  ♦o  the  king  the  power  of  appointing  a  governor,  who 
m;ght  call,  adjourn,  prorogue,  and  dissolve  the  legislature 
at  pleisnre.  He  liad  also  the  appointment  of  all  military 
officers,  and  with  the  consent  of  his  council,  of  all  officers 
belongijig  to  the  courts  of  justice.  The  charter  also  annexed 
Plymouth  and  Nova  Scotia  to  Massachusetts ;  but  emitted 
New  Hampshire,  which  always  afterwards  remained  a  sepa- 
rate government. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  new  governor,  Sir  William  Phipps, 
the  general  court  was  convened,  and  accepted  the  charter. 


V/hile  these  events  were  passing,  a  war  with  France  was 
raging,  which  involved  New  England  and  New  York  in  a 
series  of  bloody  and  desolating  actions  with  the  Canadians 
and  Indians.  Among  other  atrocities,  the  village  of  Schenec- 
tady was  surprised  by  a  party  of  French  and  Indians,  and 
many  of  the  inhabitants  massacred.  The  borders  of  New 
Hampshire  ana  Maine  experienced  similar  horrors  from  the 
same  unrelenting  enemies. 

Determined  to  carry  the  war  into  the  enemy's  country,  the 
general  court  of  Massachusetts  planned  and  executed  a  descent 
upon  Port  Royal,  under  Sir  William  Phipps,  which  was  con- 
pletely  successful;  and  all  Acadia  was  subjugated.  Another 
against  Quebec,  in  which  they  had  the  assistance  of  New 
York  and  Connecticut,  failed  for  want  of  decision  and  energy 
in  the  commander. 

The  general  court  was  obliged  to  issue  bills  of  credit  to  pay 
the  expenses  of  the  army — a  measure  which  was  afterwards 
productive  of  much  inconvenience  and  discontent,  as  the  bills 
suffered  a  heavy  depreciation  in  the  hands  of  the  soldiers. 

In  1693,  an  expedition  against  Martinique,  undertaken  by 
the  colonists,  failed ;  and  in  1696,  Port  Royal  was  recovered 
by  France,  and  all  Acadia  resumed  its  allegiance  to  that 
country.  The  peace  of  Ryswick  afforded  the  colonists  of 
each  country,  as  well  as  the  belligerent  powers  in  Europe,  a 
brief  repose. 

Wnen  hostilities  were  renewed  in  Europe,  in  1702,  the 
terrible  border  war  was  recommenced.    A  treaty  of  neutrality 


Who  granted  to  Massachusetts  a  new  What  was   done  by  the  genera. 

chaiter?  court? 

How  did  it  differ  with  the  former  one  ?  Sir  Wilham  Phipps  ? 

Who  was  the  first  royal  governor  ?  What  is  said  of  the  bills  of  credit 


(1692.) 


What  was  done  in  1693  and  1696? 
In  1702  ? 


INDIAN  INCURSIONS. 


.06 


Detweeii  the  governor  of  Canada,  and  the  Five  Nations  of 
[ndians.  having  been  negociated,  New^  York  was  left  un 
molested ;  and  the  whole  weight  of  the  war  fell  on  New 
Englai'd.  An  ineffectual  attempt  was  mad«  to  reduce  Acadia 
,n  1707,  by  governor  Dudley  of  Massachusetts,  with  an  arm} 
of  1000  men  raised  in  the  colonies  east  of  Connecticut;  and 
in  1708,  Haverhill  in  Massachusetts  was  burnt  by  the  Indians, 
and  about  one  hundred  persons  killed,  and  many  more  carried 
into  captivity.  Similar  incursions  were  made  along  the 
whole  northern  border,  from  the  river  St.  Croix  to  the  great 
lakes ;  and  the  history  of  those  times  abounds  with  stories  of 
scalping  and  plundering  parties  of  Indians,  attacking  the 
defenceless  villages,  burning  the  houses,  killing  numbers  of 
the  helpless  inhabitants,  without  distinction  of  age  or  sex, 
and  then  hurrying  back  to  Canada  with  a  handful  of  captives, 
before  a  force  could  be  raised  sufficient  to  resist  or  punish 
tne  aggression. 

The  brave  colonists  were  by  no  means  passive  under  these 
mjuries.  We  are  surprised,  in  reading  the  annals  of  this 
early  period  of  their  settlement,  at  the  energy  of  character 
and  extent  of  resources  displayed  by  them.  Believing  that 
the  French  were  the  instigators  of  all  the  Indian  hostilities, 
they  were  constantly  raising  large  fleets  and  armies  for  the 
purpose  of  depriving  them  of  their  American  possessions. 
Expeditions  were  repeatedly  fitted  out  for  Canada  and  Nova 
Scotia,  at  the  sole  expense  of  the  New  England  colonies. 
The  British  government  was  too  much  occupied  in  humbling 
the  pride  of  Louis  XIV,  to  render  more  than  occasional  and 
insufficient  aid  to  the  colonists  in  their  arduous  struggle. 
Some  regiments  were  furnished  for  the  cjxpedition,  which 
took  Port  Royal  in  1710,  and  this  grace  was  acknowledged 
by  giving  the  captured  place  the  name  of  Annapolis  in  honour 
n  Queen  Anne 

XX  few  regiments  of  Marlborough's  veterans  were  sent  over 
to  assist  in  the  grand  expedition  against  Quebec  and  Montreal, 
which  took  place  in  1711;  and  failed,  notwithstanding  the 
unsparing  efforts  of  the  colonies  in  raising  men,  and  the 
lavish  expenditure  of  bills  of  credit.  When  the  treaty  of 
Utrecht  at  length  afforded  them  a  breathing  time,  the  colonists 
found  themselves  weakened  in  numbers,  exhausted  of  funds, 


In  1707?  Whatissaidofthctolonists?  I  Of  the  expedition  against  Qu 
The  British  government  ?  I     Montreal  ? 

What  is  said  of  the  expedition  to  I  Of  the  exertioni  of  the  eoloniiti  f 
Port  Royal  ? 


06 


CONTROVERSY  WITH  THE  CROWW 


and  encumbered  with  a  heavy  public  debt.  They  no  doubt^ 
considered  it  a  hard  case  that  they  should  be  compelled  to 
depend  so  much  upon  their  own  resources.  But  this  was 
the  most  fortunate  circumstance  of  their  condition.  Had  they 
been  perfectly  protected,  they  would  scarcely  have  taken  tlie 
trouble  to  learn  the  art  of  war.  The  exertions  they  were 
compelled  to  make  in  their  own  defence,  rendered  them  a 
young  nation  of  soldiers  ;  and  paved  the  way  for  the  successful 
assertion  of  their  independence. 

After  the  return  of  peace,  the  New  England  colonies  found 
themselves  embarrassed  with  a  heavy  public  debt,  the  conse- 
quence of  the  unavoidable  emission  of  bills  of  credit  for  the 
payment  of  the  soldiers.  Various  expedients  were  proposed 
for  relief ;  but  the  evil  proved  a  lasting  one ;  and  all  the  exer- 
tions of  the  different  legislatures  could  not  prevent  a  constan- 
depreciation  of  the  paper,  and  consequent  loss  to  the  holders. 

In  Massachusetts  a  controversy  arose,  (1619,)  which  is 
worthy  of  particular  attention,  as  it  evinces  in  the  people  that 
jealous  guardianship  of  their  rights,  and  that  determined  adhe- 
rence to  a  principle  of  freedom,  once  adopted,  which  runs 
through  the  whole  of  their  history ;  and  which  rendered  that 
state  on  all  occasions  of  collision  with  the  mother  country,  the 
acknowledged  champion  of  the  New  England  confederacy. 

When,  by  their  new  charter,  the  people  of  this  colony  were 
constrained  to  receive  a  governor  appointed  by  the  king,  they 
established  a  system  of  donations  and  free  gifts  to  this  func- 
tionary, undoubtedly  with  a  view  to  attach  him  to  their  own 
cause,  and  identify  his  interests  with  those  of  the  colony. 
Determined  to  break  up  this  system.  Queen  Anne  gave  pe- 
remptory orders  th^at  the  governors  should  receive  no  more 
gifts ;  and  required  that  the  legislature  should  fix  their  salaries 
permanently  at  a  sum  named  by  herself. 

The  wary  republicans  regarded  this  as  an  inordinate  stretch 
of  arbitrary  power ;  and  offered  the  most  determined  resist 
ance.  This  led  to  constant  misunderstanding  between  the 
governor  and  his  council,  and  the  legislature.  One  of  tlie 
disputes  related  to  the  right  of  the  governor  to  negative  the 
appointment  of  the  speaker,  and  the  right  of  the  house  to 
adjourn.  An  appeal  was  carried  to  England,  and  the  conse- 
quence was  an  explanatory  charter  favouring  the  governor'* 
views,  which  after  some  difficulty  the  legislature  accepted 


Of  the  public  debt  f 
Of  its  effects . 


What  gave  rise  to  a  controveny  with 

the  crown  ? 
Give  itf  history? 


FRENCH  WAR. 


101 


In  1728,  Mr.  Burnet,  who  had  been  appointed  governoi  of 
'Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire,  arrived  in  Boston,  and 
was  received  with  great  pomp.  When  the  legislauire  met, 
he  communicated  the  king's  instructions  to  insist  on  an  esta- 
blished salary,  and  his  own  determination  to  adhere  to  them. 
This  was  the  signal  for  a  new  contest,  and  a  long  series  of 
rexatious  proceedings  followed.  The  legislature  would  readily 
vote  him  a  large  sum  of  money ;  but  they  firmly  declined  to 
bind  themselves  to  any  annual  payment ;  and  the  governor, 
to  exhaust  their  patience,  changed  the  place  of  their  meeting 
from  town  to  town.  The  contest  lasted  for  three  years,  ex- 
tending into  governor  Belcher's  administration;  and  at  length 
was  terminated  by  the  governor's  obtaining  from  the  king 
permission  to  accept  such  sums  as  might  be  given  by  the 
assembly.  The  people  by  inflexible  firmness  had  gained  their 
point. 

In  1744,  war  broke  out  between  France  and  England.  This 
was  immediately  followed  by  a  descent  on  Nova  Scotia,  which 
had  been  ceded  to  Great  I3ritain  by  the  treaty  of  Utrecht. 
The  French  governor  of  Cape  Breton  took  possession  of  Can- 
seau  in  Nova  Scotia,  and  made  the  garrison  and  inhabitants 
prisoners  of  war.  He  then  attacked  Annapolis,  but  was  de- 
feated by  the  arrival  of  a  reinforcement  from  Massachusetts, 
These  oflfensive  operations  determined  the  English  colonists 
to  attempt  the  complete  subjugation  of  the  French  possessions 
in  North  America. 

The  island  of  Cape  Breton  was  at  that  time  deemed  a  high- 
ly important  post  for  the  protection  of  the  French  commerce 
and  fisheries.  Its  fortifications  had  already  cost  thirty  mil- 
.ions  of  livres,  and  twenty-five  years  of  labour.  It  was  the 
bulwark  of  the  French  colonies. 

Shirley,  who  was  at  this  time  governor  of  Massachusetts, 
had  conceived  the  project  of  conquermg  this  island.  Informa- 
tion of  the  position  and  strength  of  Louisboiirg,  the  principal 
fortress  on  Cape  Breton,  and  of  the  design  of  the  French  to 
send  a  large  fleet  for  the  conquest  of  Nova  Scotia,  had  been 
brought  to  him  by  prisoners  who  had  returned  from  captivity, 
and  this  confirmed  Shirley  in  his  design. 

He  accordingly  made  application  for  assistance  to  the  Bri- 
tish admiralty,  and  obtained  a  promise  of  the  co-operation 
Commodore  Warren  with  a  large  fleet.    Mr.  Vaughan,  sou 


How  di4  it  terminate  ? 
What  took  place  in  1744  ? 
What  was  done  by  the  French 
noritf  Cape  Breton  f 


What  is  said  of  that  island  f 
Of  governor  Shirley  f 
I-   Of  the  admiralty  f 


V 


108 


EXPEDITION  AGAINST  LOUISBOUR^. 


of  the  lieutenant  governor  of  New  Hampshire,  had  c jnvince 
himself  of  the  practicability  of  the  conquest  of  Cape  Breton 
and  his  strong  representations  served  to  confirm  the  governoi 
8till  further  in  his  favourite  purpose.  He  now  proceeded  tn 
act  with  a  decision  corresponding  with  his  high  hopes  of 
success. 

Having  enjoined  secrecy  on  the  members  of  the  general 
court,  he  laid  before  them  his  project.  They  deliberated 
upon  it,  but  soon  pronounced  the  enterprise  too  hazardous  and 
uncertain  to  warrant  their  engaging  in  it.  One  of  their  mem- 
bers, who  performed  family  devotion  in  his  lodgings,  so  far 
forgot  the  governor's  injunction  of  secrecy  as  to  pray  for  the 
Divine  blessing  on  the  proposed  expedition.  It  thus  became 
known  to  the  people ;  and  numerous  petitions  were  sent  in  to 
the  general  court,  praying  for  a  reconsideration  of  their  vote, 
and  the  adoption  of  the  governor's  design.  The  colonists 
were  anxious  to  acquire  Louisbourg,  in  order  to  save  their 
fisheries  from  ruin. 

Carried  away  by  the  enthusiasm  of  the  people,  the  legisla- 
ture resolved  to  prosecute  the  enterprise,  and  all  classes  were 
intent  on  the  business  of  preparation.  A  general  embargo 
was  laid  ;  funds  were  raised  by  voluntary  contributions  and 
by  an  emission  of  bills  of  credit ;  troops  were  embarked  from 
Massachusetts,  New  Hampshire,  Maine,  and  Connecticut ; 
and  by  the  middle  of  April,  1745,  an  army  of  four  thousand 
men,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Pepperel,  was  assembled 
at  Canseau,  where  they  were  soon  joined  by  Admiral  Warren 
with  a  considerable  part  of  his  fleet.  They  soon  embarked 
for  Chapeau rouge  bay,  and  the  fleet  cruised  off  Louisbourg. 

A  landing  being  effected  near  Louisbourg,  with  little  oppo- 
sition, Vaughan,  with  four  hundred  men,  marched  round  to 
the  north-east  part  of  the  harbour,  and  set  fire  to  some  ware- 
houses containing  spirituous  liquors  and  naval  stores.  The 
smoke  concealed  the  number  of  the  assailants,  which  being 
exaggerated  by  the  fears  of  the  French  garrison,  they  aban- 
doned  the  fort  and  fled  into  the  town.  Next  morning,  Vaughan 
was  enabled  to  surprise  a  battery,  and  hold  possession  of  it 
antil  the  arrival  of  a  reinforcement. 

The  troops  were  now  occupied  for  fourteen  nights  in  drag 
ging  cannon  from  the  landing  place,  two  miles  through  a  deep 


Of  Mr.  Vaughan  ? 

Of  the  genera]  court  ? 

How  was  the  project  divulged  f 

What  waf  the  consequence  f 

Vhat  preparations  wert  nuutt  ? 


How  did  the  army  commence  opeift' 

tions  ? 

What  was  done  by  Vaugiiaa  ? 
Bv  the  troops  f 


CJAPTURE  OF  L0UISB0UR6 


109 


morass,  to  the  encampment.  While  the  siege  was  thus 
,'>roceefling,  the  British  fleet,  off*  the  harbour,  captured  the 
V^igilant,  a  French  frigate,  having  on  board  a  reinforcement  of 
five  hundred  and  sixty  men,  and  supplies  for  the  garrison. 
Soon  after  this  an  attack  was  made  on  the  island  battery  by 
four  hundred  men,  which  failed  with  the  loss  of  sixty  killed, 
^ind  one  hundred  and  sixteen  taken  prisoners.  But  even  thia 
disaster  seems  to  have  been  fortunate ;  for  the  prisoners  united 
\n  giving  the  French  a  most  exaggerated  and  formidable  ao 
count  of  the  English  force. 

Deprived  of  his  expected  supplies  of  men  and  provisions, 
iiid  apprehending  an  immediate  assault,  the  French  governor 
of  Louisbourg,  Duchambon,  determined  to  surrender,  and  in  a 
few  days  sent  in  his  capitulation.  An  examination  of  the 
fortress  after  its  surrender,  convinced  the  victors  that  it  would 
h£ve  proved  impregnable  against  any  assault. 

It  may  well  be  supposed  that  the  news  of  this  important 
tronquest  spread  universal  joy  through  New  England.  It  had 
been  the  people's  own  enterprise ;  undertaken  at  their  own 
earnest  solicitation ;  fitted  out  from  their  own  resources  of 
men  and  money,  and  accomplished  by  their  own  courage  and 
perseverance.  It  was  a  noble  triumph  of  New  England  spirit 
and  resolution. 

Pepperel  and  Shirley  were  rewarded  by  the  British  govern- 
ment with  the  honours  of  knighthood ;  and  parliament  ordered 
reimbursements  to  be  made  for  the  expenses  of  the  expedition. 
When  Duvivier,  the  French  admiral,  charged  with  a  fleet  and 
army  to  attempt  the  conquest  of  Nova  Scotia,  heard  of  the 
fall  of  Louisbourg,  he  relinquished  the  expedition  and  returned 
to  Europe. 

Shirley  now  wrote  to  the  British  government  for  reinforce- 
ments of  men  and  ships,  for  the  purpose  of  attempting  the 
conquest  of  Canada,  and  raised  a  large  body  of  forces  m  the 
colonies.  But  before  offensive  operations  could  be  com- 
menced, news  was  brought  that  the  Duke  d'Anville  had  ar- 
rived in  Nova  Scotia  with  a  formidable  armament,  intended 
•or  the  invasion  of  New  England.  The  apprehensions  caused 
by  this  intelligence  were  soon  after  dissipated  by  the  arrival 
of  some  prisoners  set  at  liberty  by  the  French,  who  reported 


By  the  fleet  f 

What  resulted  from  the  attack  on  the 

island  battery  ? 
Why  did  Duchambon  surrender  ? 
How  was  the  aewi  receiye<l  in  New 

Sngland  t 


How  were  Pepperel  and  Shirley  re- 
warded ? 

What  was  Shirley's  design  after 
this  ? 

How  waj  it  frustrated  ? 


10 


QUESTION  OF  BOUNDARIES 

that  the  fleet  had  suffered  so  severely  by  storms  on  its  passag'li 
and  the  sickness  of  the  troops,  that  it  was  in  no  condition  xt 
make  a  descent  on  New  England.  It  sailed  from  Chebucto, 
however,  for  the  purpose  of  attacking  Annapolis,  and  wan 
again  overtaken  and  scattered  by  a  terrible  storm.  The  ships 
which  escaped  destruction,  returned  singly  to  France.  The 
French  and  Indians,  who  had  invaded  Nova  Scotia,  were 
afterwards  expelled  by  the  Massachusetts  troops. 

The  French  war  was  soon  after  terminated  by  the  treaty  of 
Aix  la  Chapelle,  which  restored  to  both  parties  all  the  posses- 
sions  taken  during  the  war,  so  that  the  colonists  had  the 
mortification  of  seeing  their  dear-bought  conquest  of  Cape 
Breton  restored  to  the  French. 

After  the  leturn  of  peace,  the  legislature  of  Massachuseitb 
redeemed  her  bills  of  credit ;  and  thus  restored  stability  and 
vigour  to  her  commerce,  which  had  languished  for  some  3'ears 
in  consequence  of  the  depreciation  of  the  currency. 

The  treaty  of  Aix  la  Chapelle  left  the  question  of  the  bound- 
aries between  the  American  possessions  of  France  and  Eng- 
land unsettled ;  and  the  controversies  concerning  it  were  as- 
suming an  aspect  more  serious  in  proportion  to  the  increasin(> 
wealth  and  importance  of  the  respective  territories.  The  right 
of  discovery  was  pleaded  on  both  sides,  and  the  right  of  prior 
possession  was  urged  wherever  it  existed ;  but  so  large  a  part 
of  the  country  was  still  unsettled,  and  even  unvisited,  that  the 
question  of  boundaries  opened  a  wide  field  for  discussion. 

The  line  between  Canada  and  New  England,  the  bounda- 
ries of  Nova  Scotia,  and  the  extent  of  Louisiana  were  all  sub- 
jects of  dispute.  The  last  mentioned  territory  had  been 
acquired  by  the  French  in  1722,  when  New  Orleans  receivet 
the  remnant  of  a  colony  of  that  nation,  which  had  been  plantec 
near  Mobile.  It  was  now  beginning  to  flourish  ;  and  settle- 
ments were  extending  up  the  Mississippi,  towards  the  great 
lakes.  This  circumstance  gave  rise  to  a  grand  project  lor 
connecting  New  Orleans  with  Canada  by  a  chain  of  forts  ex- 
tending along  the  whole  western  and  northern  frontier  of  thd 
British  colonies. 

Such  a  design  was  too  important  not  to  receive  the  most 
earnest  attention  of  both  nations.  Its  execution  became  the 
grand  object  of  desire  to  one  and  dread  to  the  other ;  and  wa» 


What  saved  New  England  from  inva- 
sion f 

Wliat  were  the  cotisequences  of  the 

treaty  01  Aix  la  Chapelle  ? 
Whkt  was  done  by  Massachusetts  i 


What  was  a  new  subject  ol  dispute 
between  France  and  England 

What  design  was  entertained  by 
France  f 


CHARACTER  OF  THE  NEW  ENGLANDERS. 


Ill 


uhe  central  point  of  all  the  operations  of  the  succeeding  French 
war,  which  will  become  the  subject  of  attention  in  another 
part  of  this  history. 

At  the  period  to  which  we  have  now  brought  our  narrative, 
the  New  England  colonies  had  acquired  no  small  importance, 
not  only  in  view  of  the  other  Nortn  American  communities, 
but  of  Europe.  The  inhabitants  had  displayed  a  degree  of 
hardihood  and  perseverance  in  their  early  settlements,  an  ac- 
tivity and  enterprise  in  their  commercial  operations,  a  firmness 
in  defence  of  their  liberties,  and  an  indomitable  courage  in  their 
wars,  which  could  not  pass  unnoticed.  Their  resources  in 
agriculture  and  trade  were  greatly  developed ;  and  their  popu- 
lation exceeded  a  million  of  souls.  The  influence  which  they 
exercised  on  the  subsequent  destinies  of  the  whole  country 
was  commensurate  with  these  important  advantages  of  cha- 
racter and  ability. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

COLONISATION  OF  NEW  YORK. 

The  territory  now  occupied  by  the  middle  states  of  the 
American  Union,  was  originally  settled  by  the  Dutch  and 
Swedes.  In  1609,  Henry  Hudson,  an  Englishman,  in  the 
service  of  the  East  India  company  of  Holland,  set  sail  from 
the  Texel  for  the  discovery  of  a  north-west  passage  to  India. 
On  his  voyage  he  touched  at  Long  Island,  and  sailed  a  consi- 
derable distance  up  the  river  to  which  his  own  name  was 
afterwards  given.  The  right  of  discovery,  supposed  to  be  thus 
acquired,  and  the  favourable  reports  of  subsequent  voyagers, 
induced  a  company  of  Dutch  merchants  to  establish  a  trading 
settlement ;  and  the  States-general  promoted  the  enterprise  by 
granting  them  a  patent  for  the  exclusive  trade  of  the  Hudson 
river.  They  built  a  fort  near  Albany,  which  they  called  Fort 
Orange,  and  a  few  trading  houses  on  Manhattan  island,  which 
is  now  called  the  island  of  New  York.  These  events  took 
place  in  1613. 

The  claim  thus  established  by  the  Dutch,  was  regarded  by 

What  was  the  state  of  New  England  I  Who  discoveied  Hudson  river?  When? 
at  this  period  ?  j  Where  did  the  Dutch  form  settle 

first  colonif  ed  the  middle  states  ?  |     mentf  ^   When  ? 


113 


THE  NEW  NEIIIKULANDS. 


ihem  as  valid ;  but  in  the  same  year  the  English,  who  3onsi* 
dered  themselves  entitled  to  all  North  America,  because  the 
continent  was  first  discovered  by  Cabot,  sent  Captain  Argall 
from  Virginia  to  dispossess  all  intruders  on  the  coast.  Having 
taken  possession  of  Port  Royal,  St.  Saviour,  and  St.  Croix^ 
French  settlements  in  Acadia,  Argall  paid  a  visit  to  the  Dutch 
at  Manhattan,  and  ordered  them  to  surrender  the  place.  Tae 
Dutch  governor,  having  no  means  of  defence,  submitted  him* 
self  and  his  colony  to  the  British  authority,  and  consented  to 
pay  tribute. 

In  the  year  following,  however,  a  new  governor  having 
ariived  at  the  fort,  with  a  reinforcement  of  settlers,  the  claim* 
of  the  English  to  dependence  was  forthwith  defied,  and  the 
payment  of  tribute,  imposed  by  Argall,  resisted.  For  the 
better  protection  of  their  claim  to  the  country,  they  erected  a 
fort  at  the  south-west  point  of  the  island.  Here  they  were 
left  undisturbed  by  the  English  for  many  years ;  maturing 
their  settlements,  increasing  their  numbers,  and  establishing  a 
prosperous  and  *  quiet  little  colony.' 

In  1621,  the  attention  of  the  government  of  Holland  being 
directed  to  the  importance  of  this  settlement  in  America,  they 
granted  a  patent  to  the  Butch  West  India  Company,  embrac- 
ing the  territOr^  from  the  Connecticut  river  to  the  Delaware, 
under  the  title  of  the  New  Netherlands.  Under  this  com- 
pany, the  colony  was  considerably  extended  The  city  of 
New  Amsterdam,  afterwards  called  New  York,  was  built  on 
Manhattan  island;  and  in  1623,  at  the  distance  of  150  miles 
higher  up  the  Hudson  river,  the  foundations  were  laid  of  the 
city  of  Albany.  Their  first  fort  in  this  place  was  called  fort 
Aurania,  a  name  which  was  afterwards  changed  to  Fori 
Orange.  The  same  year  they  built  a  fort  on  the  east  side  of 
the  Delaware,  which  they  named  Fort  Nassau.  Ten  years 
afterwards,  they  erected  a  fort  on  the  Connecticut  river  near 
Hartford,  and  called  it  Fort  Good  Hope.  Their  possessious 
were  thus  extended,  or  rather  scattered,  from  the  Connecticut 
to  the  Delaware. 

The  Swedes  were  already  settled  on  the  Delaware ;  and 
the  claims  of  the  two  nations  were  afterwards  the  subject  of 
controversy,  until  the  final  subjugation  of  the  whole  territory 
by  the  Dutch.    The  English  extended  their  settlements  to 


Relate  ArgalPs  proceedings. 
What  happened  next  year  ? 
What  was  done  in  1621  f 
In  1623? 


How  far  were  the  Dutch  possetsioiif 

extended  in  1633  ? 
Where  were  the  Swedes  settled  ' 
W)^e  dispossessed  theiil  / 


GOVERNOR  STUYVESANT. 


ua 


the  Connecticut,  and  after  disputes,  which  lasted  inanj  years, 
rlriaily  ejected  the  Dutch  from  their  fort  on  that  river. 

During  their  occupancy  of  this  post,  however,  the  Dutch 
received  frequent  assistance  from  their  Enghsh  neighbours, 
in  their  wars  with  the  Indians.  So  little  accustomed  were 
the  Dutch  to  this  species  of  warfare,  that,  on  one  occasion, 
their  governor,  Kieft,  was  obliged  to  engage  the  services  of 
Captain  Underbill,  who  had  been  banished  from  Boston  far 
his  eccentricities  in  religion.  This  commander,  with  oric 
!iundred  and  fifty  men,  succeeded  in  making  good  the  defence 
of  the  Dutch  settlements.  In  1646,  a  great  battle  was  fought 
on  Strickland's  Plain,  in  which  the  Dutch  gained  the  victory. 

In  1650,  Peter  Stuyvesant,  the  governor  of  New  Nether- 
lands, went  to  Hartford,  and  demanded  from  the  commission- 
ers of  the  United  Colonies  of  New  England  a  full  surrendei 
of  the  lands  on  Connecticut  river.  Several  days  were  spent 
in  controversy  on  the  subject,  and  articles  of  agreement  were 
finally  signed,  by  which  Long  Island  was  divided  between 
the  parties  ;  and  the  Dutch  were  permitted  to  retain  only 
those  lands  on  the  Connecticut  which  they  held  in  actual 
possession. 

On  the  Delaware,  Stuyvesant  defended  the  claims  of  his 
country  against  both  the  English  and  the  Swedes.  In  1651, 
he  built  fort  Casimir,  on  the  river,  near  New  Castle.  The 
Sv^'edes,  claiming  the  country,  protested  against  this  inva«)on 
of  their  rights  ;  and  Risingh,  their  governor,  treacheroiusiy 
surprised  it,  and  taking  possession,  compelled  the  garrison  to 
swear  allegiance  to  Christina,  Queen  of  Sweden.  Stuyvesant, 
taking  fire  at  this  outrage,  determined  to  invade  and  subdue 
the  vvhole  Swedish  settlement.  He  accordingly  proceeded  to 
execute  his  purpose,  and  easily  succeeded  in  so  far  intimidat- 
ing the  Swedes,  that  they  quietly  surrendered  the  whole  of 
their  establishments,  and  soon  became  incorporated  with  the 
conquerors. 

During  the  next  ten  years,  Stuyvesant  was  occupied  in 
strengthening  and  extending  the  colony  of  New  Netherlands. 
But  he  was  only  rendering  it  a  more  valuable  acquisition  for 
his  powerful  neighbours.  Charles  II  was  now  (1664)  king 
of  England,  and  forgetting  the  friends  who  had  afiforded  him 
shelter  during  his  long  exile,  he  sought  every  pretext  for  a 


Who  took  the  Dutch  fort  on  the  Con- 

accticut  ? 
Who  aiaed  the  Dutch  in  their  wars 

with  the  ladiu  t  f 


10» 


What  was  done  in  1650  ?  In  1651  f 
Who  was  the  conqueror  o/  New 

Sweden  ? 
Give  an  account  }f  the  eonquMt 


14  COLONEL  Nichols's  administration. 

quarrel  with  Holland.  Among  others  he  asserted  his  ciaifH 
to  the  province  of  New  Netherlands  ;  and,  without  regarding 
the  claims  of  the  actual  occupants,  he  executed  a  charter  con- 
veying to  his  brother,  the  Duke  of  York,  the  whole  territory 
lying  between  the  Connecticut  and  the  Delaware.  No  sooner 
did  the  Duke  of  York  obtain  this  grant,  than  he  conveyed  to 
Lord  Berkeley  and  Sir  George  Carteret,  all  that  portion  now 
constituting  the  state  of  New  Jersey. 

To  carry  the  king's  grant  into  effect.  Colonel  Nichols  wa» 
sent  out  with  a  fleet  and  army.  After  touching  at  Boston  he 
sailed  for  New  Amsterdam,  and,  anchoring  before  the  place, 
demanded  its  surrender  from  the  governor.  Stuyvesant  was 
for  making  the  best  defence  he  could,  but  being  overruled  by 
the  fears  of  the  people,  who  dreaded  the  storming  and  sacking 
of  their  city,  he  was  induced  to  sign  a  treaty  of  capitulation  of 
the  most  favourable  character.  Private  property  was  respected, 
and  Dutch  vessels  were  still  permitted  to  come  to  the  colony 
for  the  purpose  of  trading  or  bringing  settlers.  The  inhabi- 
tants retained  their  estates,  and  became  incorporated  with  the 
new  comers.  Stuyvesant  himself  remained  in  the  colony  to 
the  end  of  his  life. 

Out  of  compliment  to  the  patentee.  New  Amsterdam  was 
thenceforward  called  New  York  ;  and  this  name  was  extended 
to  the  whole  province.  Fort  Orange  was  soon  after  surren- 
dered, and  received  the  name  of  Albany.  Carteret,  who  had 
been  despatched  to  reduce  fort  Orange,  effected  a  treaty 
with  the  Indians  of  the  Five  Nations,  which  was  productive 
of  lasting  benefits  to  the  colonists.  Sir  Robert  Car  received 
the  surrender  of  the  garrison  on  the  Delaware,  on  the  first  of 
October,  and  the  entire  subjugation  of  New  Netherlands  to 
the  English  was  thus  completed. 

Colonel  Nichols  was  the  first  English  governor  of  New 
York.  His  government  was  absolute,  but  paternal.  On  the 
judicial  institutions  of  the  Dutch,  he  ingrafted  the  trial  by 
jury ;  and  having  caused  the  laws  to  be  revived,  improved, 
and  formed  into  one  code,  he  transmitted  them  to  England ; 
wheio  tney  received  the  confirmation  of  the  Duke  of  York. 
On  the  12th  of  June,  1665,  New  York  became  an  incorporated 
city. 

During  Colonel  Nichols's  administration,  (1666,)  a  war  with 


^en,  and  by  whom  were  the  New 

Netherlands  conquered  ? 
Relate  the  affair. 

What  was  the  new  name  of  city  and 


What  was  done  by  Carteret  f 
Relate  the  events  of  Goyeinor  Ni- 
chols's admimstratjoiL 


ANDROs's  ADMIN  SSTRATION. 


115 


Holland  having  broken  out,  apprehensions  weie  entertained 
of  an  attempt  to  recover  New  York  by  the  Dutch.  Heavy 
taxes  were  laid  for  the  purpose  of  defence,  and  the  people 
complaining,  Nichols  nobly  sacrificed  his  private  property  for 
ihe  public  service.  No  attack  took  place,  however ;  and  a/ 
the  peace  of  Breda,  the  colony  was  ceded  to  England  in 
exchange  for  Surinam. 

Next  year  Colonel  Nichols  found  himself  compelled,  by  the 
sacrifices  of  property  he  had  made,  to  resign  his  appointment. 
He  was  su''€eeded  by  Colonel  Lovelace,  during  whose  ad- 
ministration a^six  years,  the  colony  was  happy  and  prosper- 
ous.   Towards  the  close  of  his  term  of  office,  war  with 
Holland  having  again  broken  out,  a  small  squadron  was  de 
gpatched  to  destroy  the  commerce  of  the  English  colonies 
After  having  accompL'shed  this  purpose  to  a  considerable 
extent,  the  commander  made  a  sudden  descent  on  New  York 
and  Lovelace  being  absent,  Colonel  Manning,  who  had  been 
left  in  command,  sent  down  a  messenger,  and  treacherousl} 
surrendered  the  place  without  the  least  opposition.    It  re- 
mained in  the  hands  of  the  Dutch  but  a  few  months,  being 
restored  to  the  English  again  at  the  treaty  of  Westminster, 
in  1674. 

The  Duke  of  York  now  took  out  a  new  patent.    It  em- 
powered him  to  govern  the  inhabitants  by  such  ordinances  as 
ne  or  his  assigns  should  establish,  and  to  administer  justice 
according  to  the  laws  of  England,  allowing  an  appeal  to  the 
king  in  council.    It  prohibited  trade  without  his  permission 
and  imposed  the  usual  duties  on  exports  and  imports.  Under 
the  authority  of  this  charter,  the  Duke  of  York  retained  the 
government  of  New  York  until  his  accession  to  the  throne  of 
England,  as  James  II.    He  first  commissioned  Andros,  who 
was  afterwards  the  oppressor  of  New  England,  to  be  governor 
under  his  authority,  of  all  his  territories,  from  the  Connecticu 
to  the  Delaware.    In  October  the  Dutch  resigned  their  au 
thority  to  Andros,  who  forthwith  entered  upon  the  duties  ot 
his  administration.   During  its  continuance  he  exhibited  much 
of  tnat  harshness,  severity,  and  rapacity  which  afterwards 
rendered  him  so  odious  in  the  eastern  colonies.    In  1682, 
Colonel  Thomas  Dongan  was  ap':^ointed  governor.    His  ad 
ministration  is  memorable  as  the  era  of  the  commencement  of 
representative  government  in  the  colony.    The  royal  proprie- 


Governor  Lovelace's.  |  Give  an  account  of  Governor  Andros's 

What  wer?  tbe  terms  of  tiie  new  I  administration, 
patent  t  \  Who  succeeded  hm  f 


116 


NEW   YORK  ACQUIRES  CIVIL  FREEDOM, 


fcary  having  perceived  in  the  people  pretty  unequivocal  symp- 
toms of  discontent  with  the  arbitrary  system  which  prevailed 
in  Andros's  time,  and  being  solicited  by  the  council,  court  ot 
assizes,  and  corporation,  consented  to  grant  New  York  the 
same  form  of  government  which  hitherto  was  enjoyed  in  the 
colonies,  and  accordingly  transferred  the  legislative  power  to 
an  assembly  of  the  representatives  of  the  people.  The  as- 
sembly was  to  consist  of  a  council  of  ten  members,  and  a 
house  oi  representatives  chosen  by  the  people,  composed  of 
eighteen  members ;  but  its  laws  were  to  be  ratified  by  the 
proprietary  before  they  could  take  eflect.  This  free  constitu- 
tion was  received  by  the  people  at  the  very  period  when  the 
colonists  of  New  England  were  deprived  of  their  charters. 
As  an  admission  of  the  principle  of  representative  government 
it  was  important ;  but  the  people,  having  gained  their  point, 
seem  to  have  settled  down  into  that  happy  and  contented 
state,  which  required  very  little  attention  either  to  the  iram- 
ing  or  executing  of  laws,  since  they  only  had  two  sessions 
of  the  legislature  for  the  next  six  years. 

Although  we  are  not  fond  of  statistical  details,  we  cannot 
refrain  from  presenting  an  extract  from  Graham's  history, 
exhibiting  the  condition  of  the  province  at  this  period.  It  is 
particularly  interesting  when  we  contrast  these  small  begin- 
nings with  the  present  extent  and  resources  of  that  powerful 
state. 

*  The  city  of  New  York,  in  1678,  appears  to  have  con- 
tained three  thousand  four  hundred  and  thirty  inhabitants, 
and  to  have  owned  no  larger  navy  than  three  ships,  eight 
sloops,  and  seven  boats.  No  account  appears  to  have  been 
collected  of  the  population  of  the  whole  province,  which  con- 
tained twenty-tour  towns,  villages,  or  parishes.  About  fifteen 
vessels,  on  an  average,  traded  yearly  to  the  port  of  New  York, 
importing  English  manufactures  to  the  value  ^50,000,  and 
exporting  the  productions  of  the  colony,  which  consisted  of 
land  produce  of  all  sorts,  among  which  are  particularised  beef, 
pease,  lumber,  tobacco,  peltry,  procured  from  the  Indians,  and 
sixty  thousand  bushels  of  wheat.  Of  servants  the  number 
was  small,  and  they  were  much  wanted.  Some  unfrequent 
and  intonsiderable  importations  of  slaves  were  made  from 
Barbadoes  ;  and  there  were  yet  but  very  few  of  these  unfortu- 
nate beings  in  the  colony.  Agriculture  was  more  generally 
followed  than  trade.    A  trader  worth  561000,  or  even  £500, 


What  remarkable  change  in  the  form 

of  government  now  took  place  ? 
Wliat  is  said  of  the  people  f 


What  account  is  given  of  the  condi 
tion  of  New  York  at  tJiis  period? 
Its  commerce  t 


THE  FIVE  NATIONS. 


was  considered,  a  substantial  merchant ,  and  a  planter  worth 
half  that  sum  in  moveables  was  accounted  rich.  All  the 
estates  in  the  province  were  valued  at  ^150,000.  Minis- 
ters," says  Andros,  '*  are  scarce,  and  religions  many."  The 
duke  maintained  a  chaplain  at  New  York ;  which  was  the 
only  certain  endowment  of  the  church  of  England.  There 
were  about  twenty  churches  or  meeting  places,  of  which 
half  were  vacant.  All  districts  were  liable  by  law  to  the 
obligation  of  building  churches  and  provid^'^g  for  ministers, 
whose  emoluments  varied  from  ^40  to  ^70  a  year,  with  the 
addition  of  a  house  and  garden.  But  the  Presbyterians  and 
Independents,  who  formed  the  most  numerous  and  substantial 
portion  of  the  inhabitants,  were  the  only  classes  who  showed 
much  willingness  to  procure  and  support  their  ministers. 
Marriages  were  allowed  to  be  solemnised  either  by  ministers 
or  by  justices  of  the  peace.  There  were  no  beggars  in  the 
province :  and  the  poor,  who  were  few,  were  well  taken  care 
of.  The  number  of  the  militia  amounted  to  two  thousand, 
comprehending  one  hundred  and  forty  horsemen:  and  a 
standing  company  of  soldiers  was  maintained,  with  gunners 
and  other  officers  for  the  forts  of  Albany  and  New  York. 
Such  was  the  condition  of  the  province  about  four  years  pre- 
ceding the  period  at  which  weTiave  now  arrived.  Four  years 
after,  (in  1686,)  it  was  found  to  have  improved  so  rapidly, 
that  the  shipping  of  New  York  amounted  to  ten  three  masted 
vessels,  twenty  sloops,  and  a  few  ketches  of  intermediate 
bulk.  The  militia  had  also  increased  to  four  thousand  foot, 
three  hundred  horse,  and  a  company  of  dragoons.  The  aug- 
mentation of  inhabitants,  indicated  by  this  increase  of  military 
(orce,  appears  the  more  considerable,  when  we  keep  in  view, 
tint  some  time  prior  to  this  last  mentioned  period,  the  Dela- 
ware territory  had  been  partly  surrendered  to  Lord  Baltimore, 
and  partly  assigned  to  William  Penn.' 

The  administration  of  Colonel  Dongan  was  chiefly  distin- 
jinished  by  the  attention  which  he  bestowed  on  Indian  affairs. 
I' he  confederacy  of  the  Five  Nations  had  long  existed  in  the 
'neighbourhood  uf  the  colony,  and,  by  a  system  of  wise  and 
politic  measures,  had  succeeded  in  acquiring  a  degree  of 
power  and  importance  never  attained  by  any  other  associa 
tion  of  the  North  American  tribes.  They  had  adopted, 
among  other  practices,  that  of  incorporating  numbers  of  their 
conquered  enemies  among  themselves  ;  and  the  consequence 


What  is  said  of  Colonel  Dongan's  ad-  |  Of  the  Five  Natioas  f 
ministration  ?  | 


£18 


TREATY  WITH  THE  FIVE  NATIONS. 


was  the  acquisition  of  id  any  hartly  warriors,  and  even  distill- 
guished  sacheuis  and  chiefs.  When,  subsequently  to  the 
period  of  whirh  we.  are  now  writing,  the  Tuscarora  tribe 
was  vauqiiishcid  by  ihe  South  Carolina  troops,  it  was  adopted 
entire,  and  thus  gave  to  the  confederacy  the  name  of  the  Six 
Nptions. 

Before  the  arrival  of  Champlain  in  Canada,  they  had  driven 
the  Adirondacs  to  a  position  near  Quebec  ;  but  the  aid  ren- 
dered by  that  adventurer,  and  the  use  of  fire-arms  in  several 
battles,  turned  the  tide  of  war,  and  compelled  the  Five  Na- 
tions to  retreat  into  their  own  country  in  the  greatest  distress. 
The  arrival  of  the  Dutch  in  the  Hudson  river,  at  this  critical 
juncture,  affording  them  a  supply  of  the  fire-arms  to  which 
their  enemies  had  been  indebted  for  success,  they  revived  the 
v/ar  with  such  impetuosity  and  determination,  that  the  nation 
of  the  Adirondacs  was  completely  annihilated.  Hence  ori- 
ginated the  hatred  entertained  by  the  confederacy  against  the 
French,  and  their  grateful  attachment  to  the  people  of  New 
York. 

In  1665,  a  party  of  French,  under  Courcelle,  the  governor 
of  Canada,  marching  into  their  country,  lost  their  way,  and 
arrived  in  the  greatest  distress  at  Schenectady,  where  Cor- 
laer,  a  Dutchman  of  some  consideration,  had  founded  a  village. 
This  man,  by  a  simple  artifice,  saved  them  from  the  ven- 
geance of  the  Indians,  who  were  at  that  village  in  suflicient 
force  to  have  destroyed  their  invaders.  He  gave  them  r-e- 
freshments,  and  sent  them  away.  This  circumstance  was 
gratefully  remembered  by  Courcelle  ;  and,  in  1667,  a  treaty 
of  peace  was  signed  between  the  Five  Nations  and  the  French, 
which  lasted  till  the  beginning  of  Colonel  Dongan's  adminis- 
tration. 

Meantime  the  French  had  advanced  their  settlements  along 
the  St.  Lawrence,  and  in  1672  built  Fort  Frontignac  on  its 
north-west  bank,  near  Lake  Ontario;  and  the  Jesuits  w^eie 
conciliating  the  neighbouring  Indians,  and  converting  many 
of  them  to  tlie  Catholic  reh'gion. 

Colonel  Dongan,  perceiving  the  danger  of  these  encroach- 
ments to  the  interests  of  the  colonies,  entered,  in  conjunction 
with  Lord  EfTinghani,  governor  of  Virginia,  into  a  definitive? 
treaty  with  the  Five  Nations,  embracing  all  the  fhiglish  sei* 
tlements  and  all  the  tribes  in  alliance  with  theai.  Tliis  treaij 
took  place  in  1684.    It  was  long  and  inviolably  adhered  to. 


What  occasioned  their  attachment  to  |  What  happened  in  1666  ? 
the  jpeople  of  New  York  i  \  What  wa-t  done  by  the  French  i 


DE  LA  BARRE'S  INVASION. 


119 


Governor  Dongan  was  a  far-si gb ted  and  able  man.  He 
was  tbe  first  to  comprehend  fully  the  vast  designs  of  France, 
and  the  extent  to  which  her  progress  in  America  threat- 
ened the  British  colonies.  To  defeat  them  and  weaken  their 
power  was  the  great  object  of  all  his  plans,  and  he  saw  that 
the  powerful  Iroquois  confederacy  was  the  only  agency 
through  which  England  could  strike  at  her  dangerous 
rival. 

His  control  over  these  Indians  was  not  too  soon  acquired. 
The  insolence  cf  the  Five  Nations  had  provoked  the  French, 
and  De  laBarre,  governor  of  Canada,  raised  a  large  force 
and  entered  the  territory  of  the  haughty  Iroquois.  But  his 
troops  were  struck  down  by  sickness,  provisions  failed  him, 
and  after  receiving  deputies  from  the  cantons,  he  patched  up 
a  peace  and  retired  ingloriously. 

His  successor  Denonville,  a  more  capable  man,  determined 
to  chastise  the  Senecas,  and  invaded  their  territory  in  western 
New  York.  He  defeated  them  in  battle  and  ravaged  their 
towns. 

By  the  death  of  Charles  H,  in  1685,  the  Duke  of  York 
succeeded  to  the  throne  of  England.  The  people  of  New 
York  now  solicited  a  new  constitution,  which  he  had  pre- 
viously promised  them,  but  were  coldly  refused.  At  the 
same  time  additional  taxes  were  imposed  ;  and  the  existence 
of  a  printing  press  in  the  colony  was  strictly  forbidden.  An- 
other measure  of  James  11,  which  was  highly  injurious  to 
he  interests  of  the  colony,  was  a  treaty  of  neutrality  with 
France,  by  which  it  was  stipulated  that  neither  party  should 
give  assistance  to  the  Indian  tribes  in  their  w^ars  with  each 
other.  This  did  not  prevent  the  French  from  exciting  hos- 
tilities between  their  Indian  allies  and  the  Five  Nations,  but 
compelled  the  English  to  refrain  from  assisting  these  their 
ancient  friends. 

In  1688,  Andros  v/as  appointed  governor  of  New  York 
and  New  England.  The  appointment  of  this  tyrant,  and  the 
annexation  of  the  colony  to  the  neighbouring  ones,  were 
measures  particularly  odious  to  the  people.  Andros  re- 
mained at  Boston,  and  appointed  Nicholson  his  lientenanv 
governor.  During  his  administration,  the  F'ive  Nations, 
being  at  war  with  the  French,  made  a  sudden  descent  on 


Sive  ap  accoi  nt  of  the  invasions  of 

De  la  Bi.rre  and  Dc  Nonville. 
What  i£.jpeDo(^  on  the  accessian  of 


Who  was  made  governor  in  16S8  ? 
What  was  the  charactei  of  his  admi- 
1, 'Miration  f 


120 


•  LEISLER  S  GOVERNMEN'l 


Montreal,  burned  and  sacked  the  town,  killed  one  thousand 
of  the  inhabitants,  carried  away  a  number  of  prisoners,  whom 
they  burned  alive,  and  then  returned  to  their  own  country, 
with  the  loss  of  only  three  of  their  number.  Had  the  Eng- 
lish followed  up  this  success  of  their  allies,  all  Canada  might 
have  been  easily  conquered. 

Meantime  the  discontent  of  the  people  had  risen  to  an 
alarming  height,  and  on  receiving  intelligence  of  the  acces- 
sion of  William  and  Mary,  and  of  the  successful  insurrection 
at  Boston,  which  had  terminated  the  government  of  Andros, 
they  resolved  to  imitate  the  example,  and  effect  a  revolution. 

Jacob  Leisler,  a  man  of  eager,  headlong  temper,  and  nar- 
row capacity,  was  selected  for  a  leader.  He  had  already 
resisted  the  payment  of  customs  on  some  goods  which  he 
had  imported,  and  alleged  that  there  was  no  legitimate  go- 
vernment in  the  colony.  Raising  a  report  that  hostile  opera- 
tions were  about  to  be  commenced  by  the  government,  he 
took  a  detachment  of  trained  bands,  and,  seizing  the  fort,  de- 
clared his  determination  to  hold  it  until  the  decision  of  the 
new  sovereigns  should  be  known. 

He  then  despatched  a  messenger  to  King  William,  and, 
by  negotiations  with  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut,  suc- 
ceeded in  interesting  the  governments  of  these  colonies  on 
his  side.  A  report  at  the  same  time  being  spread  that  an 
English  fleet  was  approaching  to  assist  the  insurgents,  all 
classes  in  New  York  immediately  joined  themselves  to  Leis- 
ler's  party ;  and  Nicholson,  afraid  of  sharing  the  fate  of  the 
imprisoned  Andros,  fled  to  England. 

Soon  after  Leisler's  elevation  to  power,  a  letter  came  from 
the  British  ministry,  directed  '  to  such  as,  for  the  time,  take 
care  for  administering  the  laws  of  the  province,'  and  giving 
authority  to  perform  the  duties  of  lieutenant-governor.  Leis- 
ler regarded  this  letter  as  addressed  to  himself,  and  accord- 
ingly assumed  the  ofnce,  issued  commissions,  and  appointed 
his  own  executive  council. 

A  few  of  Nicholson's  adherents,  Courtlandt,  the  mayor  of 
the  city.  Colonel  Bayard,  Major  Schuyler,  and  a  number  of 
other  gentlemen,  jealous  of  the  elevation  of  a  man  of  inferior 
rank  to  the  supreme  command,  retired  to  Albany,  and,  seiz- 
ing the  fort  there,  declared  that  they  held  it  for  King  Wil- 


What  ended  it  ? 

Who  now  usurped  the  gc^ernment 

of  New  York  ? 
Relate  the  circ  itmitancei  of  hit  usurp- 

fttioii. 


What  circumstance  gave  a  temporary 
sanction  to  his  proceedings  ? 

Who  retired  to  Albany  aid  re- 
nounced Leisler  i 


bORNING  of  SCHENECtADY. 


121 


ham,  and  would  have  no  connection  with  Leisler.  Mil- 
biourne,  the  son-in-law  of  Leisler,  was  despatched  to  Albany 
to  dislodge  them ;  and  an  irruption  of  French  and  Indian? 
happening  it  the  same  time,  they  gave  up  the  fort,  and  re- 
tired to  the  neighbouring  colonies.  Leisler,  to  revenge  him- 
self for  their  defection,  confiscated  their  estates. 

A  convention  was  now  called,  consisting  of  deputies  from  all 
the  towns  and  districts,  who  proceeded  to  enact  various  regu- 
lations for  the  temporary  government  of  the  colony.  The 
proceedings  of  Leisler  were  of  so  arbitrary  a  character,  how- 
ever, that  a  strong  party  was  formed  in  opposition  to  him,  and 
every  measure  of  his  government  was  questioned  with  deter- 
mined hostility.  It  was  fortunate  that  the  Dutch  inhabitants 
were  divided  between  these  two  parties,  so  that  national 
antipathy  was  not  superadded  to  party  discord. 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  in  New  York,  when  the 
miseries  of  foreign  war  and  hostile  invasion  were  added  to 
the  calamity  of  internal  dissension.  The  condition  of  the 
French  in  Canada  had  been  suddenly  changed  from  the  depth 
of  distress  and  danger  to  comparative  security,  by  the  arrival 
of  a  strong  reinforcement  from  the  parent  state,  under  the 
command  of  a  skilful  and  active  general,  the  old  Count  de 
Frontignac,  who  now  became  governor,  and  speedily  retrieved 
the  affairs  of  his  countrymen.  He  first  succeeded  in  obtain- 
ing a  treaty  of  neutrality  from  the  Five  Nations ;  and,  war 
having  been  declared  between  France  and  England,  he  col 
lected  a  body  of  French  and  Indians,  and  despatched  them 
in  the  depth  of  winter  against  New  York.  This  partjr 
having  wandered  for  twenty-two  days  through  deserts,  ren- 
dered trackless  by  the  snow,  approached  the  village  of  Sche- 
nectady in  so  exhausted  a  state,  that  they  had  determined  to 
sunender  themselves  as  prisoners  of  war.  But  arriving  at  a 
late  hour  on  a  stormy  night,  and  finding,  by  means  of  their 
•pies,  that  the  inhabitants  were  asleep,  without  a  guard,  they 
suddenly  resolved  to  refuse  the  mercy  which  they  had  been 
just  on  the  point  of  imploring,  and  dividing  themselves  into 
seven^l  parties,  they  set  fire  to  the  village  in  various  places, 
and  attacked  the  inhabitants  as  they  fled  from  the  flames. 
Men,  women,  and  children,  shared  the  same  fate.  Sixty 
persons  were  massacred,  and  twenty-seven  carried  into  cap- 
tivity.   Of  tLie  fugitives  who  escaped,  half  clad,  and  made 

Kow  were  they  disposed  of  ?  What  new  misfortune  befell  tht  «o- 
What  was  ione  by  the  convention  ?        lony  ^ 

By  Leisler  ?  Relate  the  circumstaa^ei  of  the  bun 
By  hit  opponeatt  ?  ing  of  Schenectady 

u 


FALL  OF  LEISLER. 


their  way  through  a  storm  of  snow  to  Albany,  twenty-five 
lost  their  limbs  b}  the  intensity  of  the  frost.  The  French, 
having  destroyed  the  village,  retired,  laden  with  plunder. 

This  atrocious  proceeding  roused  the  indignation  of  all  tha 
colonies.  Extensive  preparations  were  immediately  com- 
menced, in  New  York  and  New  England,  for  a  general  in- 
vasion of  Canada.  An  expedition  against  Quebec,  under  Sir 
William  Phipps,  sailed  from  Boston ;  and  the  united  forces  of 
Connecticut  and  New  York,  under  the  command  of  General 
Winthrop  were  to  marcn  against  Montreal.  But  Leisler'a 
son-in-law,  Milbourne,  who  acted  as  commissary-general, 
having  failed  to  furnish  supplies,  and  the  Indians  not  bringing 
the  requisite  number  of  canoes,  for  crossing  the  rivers  and 
lakes,  the  general  was  obliged  to  order  a  retreat.  The  expe- 
dition agaiast  Quebec  was  equally  unsuccessful. 

Leisler,  transported  with  rage  when  he  was  informed  of  the 
retreat,  caused  Winthrop  to  be  arrested,  but  was  instantly 
compelled,  by  the  indignation  of  all  parties,  to  release  him. 
This  man  was  intoxicated  with  his  elevation,  and  began  to 
betray  his  utter  incapacity  for  the  supreme  controul  of  a 
colony.  The  government  of  Connecticut,  incensed  at  the 
affront  to  one  of  their  ablest  officers,  warned  him  that  his 
state  needed  prudence ;  and  that  he  had  urgent  occasion  for 
friends. 

King  William  received  the  messenger,  who  had  been  sent 
to  him  by  Leisler,  very  graciously,  and  admitted  him  to  the 
honour  of  kissing  his  hand,  as  a  testimony  of  his  approbation 
of  the  proceedings  at  New  York.  But  Nicholson,  arriving 
m  England,  found  means  to  prejudice  the  royal  mind  against 
the  insurgents  both  of  Boston  and  New  York.  The  king 
returned  thanks  to  the  people  of  New  York,  for  their  fidelity; 
but,  without  recognising  the  governor  of  their  choice,  he 
committed  the  administration  of  the  province  to  Colonel 
Sloughter,  in  1689,  who  did  not  arrive  in  the  province,  how- 
ever, till  1691. 

The  new  governor,  on  his  arrival,  summoned  Leisler  to 
deliver  up  the  fort.  Unwilling  to  relinquish  the  power  which 
he  had  so  long  held,  he  replied  that  he  would  not  give  it  up, 
but  to  an  order  undsi  the  king's  own  hand.  Finding,  how- 
ever, that  parties  were  strong  against  him,  he  abandoned  his 
desperate  design  of  defending  the  fort ;  and,  on  surrendering 


How  did  the  colonists  prepare  to  re- 
venge this  massacre  ? 
How  was  the  design  frustrated  ? 
What  WM  do&«  by  Lei»ler  ? 


By  the  government  of  Connecticut  f 
By  King  WiUiam  ? 
Whom  did  he  appoint  to  bs  govern er 
of  New  York  ? 


fiXECtTTION  CP  LSISLBR. 


123 


h,  he  was  instantly  deneunced  as  a  rebel,  and  east  into  prison, 
with  Milbourne,  and  others  of  his  adherents,  on  a  charge  of 
high  treason. 

Sloughter  then  called  an  assembly  v/ho  voted  an  address, 
censuring  the  conduct  of  Leisler,  and  passed  an  act  annulling 
the  regulations  which  had  been  in  force  during  his  adminis- 
tration. They  also  passed  a  law  declaring  the  assembling  of 
a  representative  body  to  be  an  inherent  right  of  the  people, 
and  that  all  the  other  liberties  of  Englishmen  belonged  of 
right  to  the  colonists.  This  act  was  afterwards  annulled  by 
King  William. 

Leisler  and  Milbourne  were  now  brought  to  trial;  and, 
after  vainly  pleading  their  loyalty  and  public  services,  were 
convicted  of  treason,  arid  sentenced  .o  death.  The  governor 
still  hesitated  to  destroy  the  two  persons,  who,  of  all  the  in- 
habitants, had  been  the  first  to  declare  themselves  in  favour 
of  his  sovereign.  Their  enemies  resorted  to  a  most  unjusti- 
fiable stratagem.  They  prepared  a  sumptuous  feast,  to  which 
Colonel  Sloughter  was  invited  ;  and  when  his  reason  was 
drowned  in  wine,  the  entreaties  of  the  company  prevailed 
with  him  to  sign  the  death-warrant ;  and,  before  he  recovered 
from  his  intoxication,  the  prisoners  were  executed. 

The  best  act  of  Sloughter's  administration  was  the  execu- 
cution  of  a  new  treaty,  offensive  and  defensive,  with  the  Five 
Nations.  On  his  return  from  the  conference  with  their  de- 
puties he  suddenly  died.  He  was  a  man  of  profligate  cha- 
racter, and  mean  abilities. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  1691,  Major  Schuyler,  who  had 
acquired,  by  his  courage  and  courtesy,  an  extraordinary  de- 
gree of  influence  over  the  Indians  of  the  Five  Nations,  un- 
dertook an  expedit'on  against  Montreal,  at  the  head  of  a  con- 
siderable body  of  colonial  and  Indian  forces  Though  the 
invaders  were  compelled  to  retreat,  the  French  suffered  heavy 
losses,  in  several  encounters,  and  the  spirit  and  animosity  of 
the  Five  Nations  was  excited  to  such  a  pitch  that  when  their 
allies  retired,  they  continued  to  wage  incessant  and  harassing 
hostilities  with  the  French  through  the  whole  winter.  Count 
Frontignac  succeeded  in  capturing  two  of  their  warriors,  of 
the  Mohawk  nation,  whom  he  condemned  to  die  by  torture. 


Give  an  account  of  the  faU  of  Leis- 
ler. 

What  was  done  by  the  assembly  ? 
Relate  the  circumstances  of  the  death 

of  Leisler  and  Milbourne. 
Vhat  WM  Sloughter's  charricter  ^ 


What  was  the  best  act  of  Sloughter*! 

administration  ? 
What  ended  it  ? 
What  was  his  character 
What  was  done  in  1691  ? 
What  was  done  bj  Fmt^pMW  t 


124 


HEROISM  OF  A  Mohawk. 


One  of  ihtni  despatched  himself  with  a  knife,  which  some 
Freiiclnnan  threw  into  the  prison ;  but  the  other,  disdaining 
such  pusilianimiiy,  walked  boldly  to  the  stake,  singing,  in  his 
death  chaunt,  that  he  was  a  Mohawk  warrior,  and  that  dl  the 
power  of  man  could  not  extort  an  indecent  expression  of 
sulfcring  from  his  lips  ;  and  that  it  was  ample  consolation  to 
him  to  reflect  that  he  had  made  many  a  Frenchman  suHer  the 
same  pangs  that  he  must  now  himself  undergo.  When  at- 
tached to  the  stake  he  looked  round  on  his  executioners,  their 
instruments  of  torture,  and  the  assembled  multitude  of  speo^ 
tators,  with  the  composure  of  heroic  fortitude,  and  after  en- 
during for  some  hours,  a  series  of  barbarities  too  atrocious  to 
be  recited,  his  sufferings  were  terminated  by  the  interce&iiion 
of  a  French  lady,  who  prevailed  with  the  governor  to  order 
that  mortal  blow  to  which  human  cruelty  has  given  the  name 
of  coup  de  grace,  or  stroke  of  favour. 

Colonel  Fletcher  was  ths  next  governor  of  New  York.  He 
arrived  in  1692.  He  was  an  able  soldier,  but  avaricious  and 
passionate.  The  king,  who  had  refused  to  grant  a  charier  to 
New  York,  was  anxious  to  encroach  on  the  privileges  of  Con- 
necticut, by  placing  the  militia  of  that  colony  under  the  con- 
troul  of  Fletcher.  To  effect  this  object,  Fletcher  sent  a  com- 
mission to  Governor  Trent,  of  Connecticut,  who  was  already 
commander  of  the  colonial  force  by  virtue  of  his  office.  The 
acceptance  of  a  commission,  from  the  governor  of  New  York, 
would  have  made  him  subject  to  his  orders.  It  was  of  course 
refused.  Incensed  at  such  contumacy,  Fletcher  proceeded, 
with  his  usual  impetuosity,  to  Hartford,  and  commanded  the 
assembly  of  the  colony,  who  were  then  in  session,  to  place 
their  militia  under  his  orders,  as  they  w^ould  answer  it  to  the 
king.  He  even  threatened  to  issue  a  proclamation  calling  on 
all  who  were  for  the  king  to  join  him,  and  denouncing  all 
others  as  traitors.  Finding  his  menaces  disregarded,  he  pre- 
•ented  himself  with  one  of  his  council,  Colonel  Bayard,  lo 
the  militia,  at  tlieir  parade,  and  commanded  Bayard  to  road 
his  commission  from  the  king  aloud.  But  Captain  Wads- 
worth,  a  tried  patriot,  stepped  forward,  and  commanded  the 
drums  to  beat,  so  that  the  reader  could  not  be  heard.  When 
Fletcher  attempted  to  interpose,  Wadsworth  supported  his 
orders  with  such  determination,  that  his  antagonist  was  ccm- 
peiled  to  give  up  the  point,  and  make  a  hasty  retreat  to  hia 


Give  an  account  of  the  death  of  the 

Mohawk  warrior. 
Who  waa  the  next  goremor  of  New 


What  was  his  character  f 
Give  an  account  of  his  adveuture  it 
Cornccticut. 


J'tfiTCHtlR  AND  WADSWORTH. 


125 


own  jurisdiction.  The  king  ordered  the  matter  to  be  sub- 
mitted to  the  attorney-general  and  solicitor-general  in  Eng- 
land, who  finally  decided  in  favor  of  Connecticut. 

This  affair,  as  well  as  the  Leisler's  troubles  in  New  York, 
arose  mainly  ifrom  the  utter  indifference  manifested  by  William 
III.  nnd  his  successors  in  regard  to  the  British  colonies  in 
America.  While  James  II.  had  shown  grand  and  statesman- 
like views,  and  a  wish  to  strengthen,  consolidate,  and  protect 
the  colonies,  William  left  them  to  be  rent  by  anarchy  and 
jealousies,  while  all  the  time  France  was  steadily  increasing 
her  power  and  influence.  The  efforts  of  the  colonies  against 
Canada  were  not  properly  supported,  and  by  their  failure 
epread  distress  throughout  America. 

Moreover,  men  of  little  ability,  sordid,  grasping,  or  worth- 
less were  sent  over  as  governors,  without  regard  to  the  real 
interests  of  the  colonies. 

It  w^as  fortunate  for  New  York  that  Fletcher  made  use  of 
the  prudent  counsels  of  Colonel  Schuyler,  in  his  intercourse 
with  the  Indians.  His  promptitude,  skill,  and  intelligence, 
were  of  essential  service,  in  preserving  the  attachment  of  the 
Five  Nations,  during  an  expedition  against  the  French,  in 
»vhich  they  were  assisted  by  the  New  York  militia,  in  1693. 

Fletcher  laboured  hard  with  the  assembly  to  render  Epis- 
copacy the  established  religion  of  the  colony.  The  Dutch, 
and  other  Presbyterians,  naturally  opposed  him  in  this  design. 
He  at  length  succeeded  in  carrying  a  bill  through  the  assembly 
of  representatives,  for  settling  ministers  in  the  several  parishes. 
But  when  the  council  added  the  clause,  which  gave  the  people 
the  privilege  of  electing  their  own  ministers,  and  a  proviso, 
<hat  the  governor  should  exercise  the  episcopal  power  of  ap- 
roving  and  collating  the  incumbents,  this  amendment  was 
rectly  negatived  by  the  assembly.  The  governor,  exas- 
perated at  their  obstinacy,  called  the  house  before  him,  and 
prorogued  their  sitting  with  a  passionate  harangue.  .  *  You 
take  upon  you,'  said  he,  *  as  if  you  were  dictators.  I  sent 
down  to  you  an  amendment  of  but  three  or  four  words  in 
that  bUl,  which,  though  very  immaterial,  yet  was  positively 
denied.  I  must  tell  you,  it  seems  very  unmannerly.  It  is 
the  sign  of  a  stubborn,  ill  temper.  You  ought  to  consider 
that  you  have  but  a  third  share  in  the  legislative  power  of  the 
government;  ai.i  ought  not  to  take  all  upon  you,  nor  be  so 
peremptory.    You  ought  to  let  the  council  have  a  share. 

Wl.o  was  Fletcher's  advisei  ?  |  What  was  done  in  relatiro  to  eceld- 

How  was  h«  serviceable  ?  |     siastical  affairs  ? 

lit 


126 


CAPTAIN  KIDD. 


They  are  in  the  nature  of  the  house  of  lords,  or  upper  house ; 
but  you  seem  to  take  the  whole  power  in  yoi..  hands,  ana 
set  up  for  every  thing.  You  have  sat  a  long  time  to  little 
purpose,  and  have  been  a  great  charge  to  ihe  country.  Ten 
shillings  a  day  is  a  large  allowance,  and  you  punctually  exact 
it.  You  have  been  always  forward  enough  to  pull  down  the 
fees  of  other  ministers  in  the  government.  Why  did  not  you 
think  it  expedient  to  correct  your  own  to  a  more  moderate 
allowance?'  The  members  of  assembly  endured  his  rude- 
ness with  invincible  patience  ;  but  they  also  obstructed  his 
pretensions  with  immovable  resolution. 

Having  no  better  success  in  his  subsequent  attempts  to 
overawe  the  assembly,  he  at  length  gave  up  the  point,  and 
maintained  a  good  correspondence  with  that  body,  during  the 
remainder  of  his  administration. 

The  peace  of  Ryswick,  which  took  place  in  1697,  gave 
repose  to  the  colonies,  but  left  the  Five  Nations  exposed  to 
the  hostilities  of  the  French.  Count  Frontignac  prepared  to 
direct  his  whole  force  against  them  ;  and  w<^s  only  prevented 
from  executing  his  purpose  by  the  energy  and  decision  of  the 
Earl  of  Bellamont,  who  had  now  succeeded  Fletcher  in  the 
governme.it  of  the  colony.  He  not  only  supplied  the  Five 
Nations  with  ammunition  and  military  stores,  but  notifieu 
Count  Frontignac,  that,  if  the  French  should  presume  to 
attack  them,  he  would  march  the  whole  disposable  force  of 
the  province  to  their  aid.  This  threat  was  effectual,  and  a 
peace  between  the  French  and  the  Five  Nations  was  soon 
afterwards  concluded. 

Piracy  had  increased  to  an  alarming  extent  on  the  Ameri- 
can shores,  during  the  administration  of  Fletcher ;  and  he 
was  even  suspected  of  having  encouraged  it.  Lord  Bella- 
mont was  instructed  to  put  an  end  to  this  evil ;  and,  consult- 
ing with  his  friends  on  the  best  means  of  accomplishing  this 
desirable  end,  he  was  advised  to  employ  one  Kidd,  who  was 
represented  to  him  as  a  man  of  honour  and  integrity,  and 
well  acquainted  with  the  persons  and  haunts  of  the  pirates. 
Kidd  was  accordingly  engaged  to  undertake  the  office,  as  the 
agent  of  a  company,  of  which  the  king,  the  lord  chancellor, 
and  some  other  noblemen,  were  members.  He  received  an 
ordinary  commission,  as  a  privateer,  with  directions  to  pro- 
ceed against  the  pirates,  and  hold  himself  responsible  to  Lord 


What  was  the  effect  of  the  peace  of 
Ryswick  ? 

Whsit  wap  done  by  the  Earl  ol  Bella- 
mont? 


What  is  said  of  piracy  f 

Who  was  employed  to  suppreit  it  f 

In  what  capacity  ? 


LORD  CORNBUKY. 


127 


Bellamont.  But  instead  of  attacking  the  pirates,  he  turnetJ 
pirate  himself,  and  became  the  most  infamous  and  formidable 
0.  them  all.  After  continuing  his  depredations  for  three 
years,  he  had  the  audacity  to  appear  publicly  in  Boston.  He 
was  seized,  and  sent  to  England,  where  he  was  tried  and 
executed.  The  noblemen  who  had  procured  his  commission, 
were  charged  with  participating  in  his  crimes  and  profits, 
but  no  exertions  of  their  enemies  could  fix  the  imputation 
upon  them,  so  as  to  gain  credit  with  the  public  at  large. 

The  death  of  Leisler  had  not  entirely  extinguished  the  civil 
feuds  to  which  his  elevation  gave  rise.  They  had  continued 
through  the  administration  of  Fletcher,  and  now  broke  forth 
with  fresh  violence,  upon  occasion  of  young  Leisler's  applica- 
tion for  indemnification  for  the  losses  sustained  by  the  family. 
Lord  Bellomont  favoured  his  claims,  and  was  instrumental  in 
procuring  a  grant  of  ifilOOO  for  his  benefit.  The  faction,  how- 
ever, was  not  quieted  by  this  measure. 

Lord  Bellomont's  administration  was  terminated  by  hd 
death,  in  1701  ;  and  he  was  succeeded  by  Lord  Cornbury 
grandson  of  the  great  chancellor,  Lord  Clarendon ;  but  a 
most  degenerate  and  unworthy  descendant  of  that  illustriou 
man.  Parties  ran  high  under  his  administration,  and  he  was 
a  violent  supporter  of  the  anti-Leislerian  faction.  He  was 
also  an  over-strenuous  supporter  of  the  Church  of  England , 
and  did  not  scruple  to  persecute,  with  unrelenting  hate,  the 
members  of  all  other  denominations.  He  embezzled  the 
public  money,  ran  in  debt  on  his  own  private  account,  and 
evaded  payment  by  the  privileges  of  his  office.  All  parties 
became  disgusted  with  his  unprincipled  conduct;  and,  for» 
getting  their  former  animosities  against  each  other,  united  in 
earnestly  petitioning  for  his  recall.  In  1709,  Queen  Anne, 
the  new  sovereign  of  England,  was  induced  to  supersede  his 
commission,  and  appoint  Lord  Lovelace  to  succeed  him. 
Deprived  of  his  office,  he  was  instantly  arrested,  and  thrown 
into  prison,  by  his  enraged  creditors,  and  remained  there 
until  the  death  of  his  father,  by  elevating  him  to  the  peerage, 
entitled  him  to  his  liberation.  He  then  returned  to  England, 
and  died  in  the  year  1723.    The  brief  adiniiistration  of 


How  did  he  behave  f 

What  was  his  fate  ? 

What  18  said  of  his  employers  ? 

What  wa3  done  by  Leisler's  son  ? 

How  did  he  succeed? 

Who  fucceeded  Lord  BeUanumt^ 


What  was  Lord  Corn  bury 'i  ciiaracter? 
What  were  his  acts  f 
What  occasioned  his  remoTal  f 
Who  succeeded  him  ? 
What  is  said  oi  Combtiry'g  gu 
quent  career  * 


128 


ADMINISTRATIONS  Oi   HUNTER  AND  BLTRNKT. 


fiOrd  Lovelace,  distinguished  by  no  remarkable  occurrence, 
was  terminated  by  his  sudden  decease. 

General  Hunter,  who  was  appointed  to  succeed  Lord  Love- 
ace,  arrived  in  1610,  and  brought  with  him  three  thousand 
Germans,  a  part  of  whom  settled  in  New  York,  and  the  re- 
mainder in  Pennsylvania.  His  administration  is  remarkable 
only  for  his  frequent  and  unsatisfactory  disputes  with  the 
assembly,  concerning  the  custody  and  disbursement  of  the 
public  money.  An  unsuccessful  invasion  of  Canada,  by  the 
united  forces  of  New  York,  New  Jersey,  and  Connecticut, 
took  place  in  17 11. 

William  Purnet,  son  of  the  celebrated  Bishop  Burnet,  suc- 
ceeded to  Hunter.  He  was  well  apprised  of  the  danger  to  be 
apprehended  from  the  French  upon  the  north-western  frontier, 
and  soon  penetrated  their  design  of  forming  a  line  of  forts 
from  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  Mississippi.  He  erected  a  fort 
at  Oswego,  on  Lake  Ontario,  in  hopes  of  defeating  their 
design.  But  the  French  were  not  thus  to  be  foiled.  They 
erected  Fort  Frontignac,  at  the  outlet  of  Lake  Ontario,  and 
another  at  Niagara,  at  the  entrance  of  the  Niagara  river  into 
the  lake.  The  remainder  of  his  administration  appears  to 
have  chiefly  been  occupied  by  contentions  with  the  assembly 
concerning  the  court  of  chancery,  which  had  become  so 
odious  that  an  act  of  the  legislature  was  passed,  declaring  its 
proceedings  void. 

Burnet,  being  appointed  governor  of  Massachusetts,  was 
succeeded  by  Colonel  Montgomery.  His  short  administration 
was  not  distinguished  by  any  remarkable  event.  He  died  in 
1731,  and  Rip  Van  Dam,  the  senior  member  of  the  council, 
became  acting  governor.  He  was  superseded,  in  1732,  by 
William  Cosby,  having,  in  the  mean  time,  permitted  the 
French  to  erect  a  fortification  at  Crown  Point,  within  the 
boundaries  of  the  colonies,  which  served  as  a  rallying  point 
for  hostile  Indians 

Cosby  was  at  first  a  popular  governor,  but  having  impru- 
dently attacked  the  liberty  of  the  press,  he  lost  favour  with 
the  people.  His  successor,  Clark,  was  not  more  fortunate,  as 
he  excited  the  hostility  of  the  assembly  by  his  arbitrary  at- 
tempts to  controul  the  public  treasure.   He  carried  matters  sq 


Who  succeeded  Lord  Lovelace  ? 

What  events  transpired  during  Hunt- 
er's administration  ? 

Who  succeeded  Hunter  ? 

What  wa^  done  during  Burne^'^'g  ad- 
ainiftiation  f 


^Tio  was  his  successor  ? 

What  is  said  of  his  adminutntioD  ? 

Of  Rip  Van  Dam  ? 

Of  Cosby? 

Of  Clark  ? 


ADMINISTRATION  OF   CLINTON.  12if 

far,  as  to  charge  the  colonies  with  a  design  to  throw  off  theii 
dependence  on  the  crown. 

George  Clinton  succeeded  Clark,  in  1743.  He  seems  to 
have  retained  tlie  popularity  with  which  most  of  the  governors 
commenced  their  administrations,  by  timely  concessions  to 
the  people.  He  gave  his  assent  to  a  law  which  limited  the 
duration  of  the  assemblies  ;  and  succeeded  in  raising  recruits 
and  subsidies  for  a  vigorous  prosecution  of  the  war  which  had 
commenced  with  France.  Before  his  preparations  were  com- 
pleted, however,  a  treaty  was  concluded. 

In  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  the  population  of 
the  whole  colony  of  New  York  was  scarcely  100,000  inhabi- 
tants— less  than  one-half  the  number  now  contanied  in  the 
metropolis  of  that  state.  The  Indian  wars,  which  were  al- 
most constantly  raging  on  the  frontier,  were  an  effectual  check 
to  the  extended  settlement  of  the  interior. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

COLONISATION  OF  NEW  JERSEY. 

We  have  already  referred  to  the  early  settlements  of  the 
Swedes  and  Dutch,  on  the  Delaware  river.  It  was  not  until 
)640  that  any  attempt  was  made,  by  the  English,  to  colonise 
this  region ;  and  then  it  was  successfully  resisted.  Their  set- 
tlement at  Elsingburgh  was  broken  up  by  the  united  efforts 
of  the  Swedes  and  Dutch.  The  Swedes  took  possession  of 
the  place,  built  a  fort,  commanded  the  navigation  of  the  river, 
and  exacted  duties  from  the  ships  of  other  nations  passing  on 
its  waters.  This  lasted  till  their  subjugation  by  the  Dutch, 
under  Peter  Stuyvesant,  which  has  already  been  related. 

When  New  York  was  given  to  the  Duke  of  York,  by 
Charles  II,  the  country  between  the  Delaware  and  Hudson 
was  included  in  the  grant.  It  was  immediately  afterwards 
conveyed,  by  the  duke,  to  Lord  Berkeley  and  Sir  George 
Carteret.    In  compliment  to  Carteret,  who  had  defended  the 


Of  Clinton  •» 

Of  New  York  in  the  middle  ol  the 

eighteenth  century  ? 
vVho  first  settled  in  New  JeiF^^-on 

thit  Delaware  ? 


When  did  the  English  first  attempt 

to  settle  there  ? 
What  was  the  result  ? 
Who  dispossessed  the  Sweaef  f 
Who  granted  New  Jersey  to  Berkeley 

and  Carteret  ? 


130  rAVOURABLE  CONDITIONS  OF  SETTLEMENT. 


island  of  Jersey  against  the  Long  Parliament  in  the  civil  war 
It  was  called  Nova-Cesaria,  or  New  Jersey.  To  invite  setr 
tiers  to  the  country,  the  proprietaries  gave  assurance  that  the 
province  should  enjoy  a  representative  government ;  freedom 
from  all  taxes,  except  such  as  were  imposed  by  the  general 
assembly ;  and  the  undisturbed  enjoyment  of  liberty  of  con- 
science. This  last  provision  was  undoubtedly  intended  for 
the  benefit  of  the  society  of  Friends,  who  had  been  much 
molested  by  the  Dutch  in  the  neighbouring  colony ;  and  many 
of  whom  were  already  setded  in  New  Jersey.  Lands  were 
also  offered,  at  a  quit  rent  of  a  half-penny  an  acre,  after  the 
year  1670,  with  the  further  condition,  that  one  able-bodied 
male  servant  should  be  maintained  for  every  100  acres  of  land, 
thus  aflx)rding  a  guarantee  for  the  actual  cultivation  of  the  land. 
This  condition  was  probably  intended  to  prevent  the  appro- 
priation of  large  tracts  by  speculators.  New  provisions  were 
added  to  this  constitution,  by  subsequent  proclamations  of  the 
proprietors,  and  the  whole  code  was  denominated,  by  the 
people,  the  Laws  of  the  Concessions,  and  regarded  by  them 
as  the  great  charter  of  their  liberties. 

Philip  Carteret,  the  first  governor  of  New  Jersey,  purchasea 
from  the  Indians  their  titles  to  all  the  lands  which  were  occu- 
pied. This  proceeding  was  afterwards  approved  by  the 
proprietaries,  who  then  established  the  rule,  that  all  lands 
should  be  purchased  from  the  Indians  by  the  governor  and 
council,  who  were  to  be  reimbursed  by  the  settlers,  in  pro- 
portion to  their  respective  possessions. 

Colonel  Nichols,  the  first  English  governor  of  New  York, 
while  yet  unacquainted  with  the  duke's  grant  to  Berkeley  and 
Carteret,  had  granted  licenses  to  persons  to  purchase  lands  of 
the  Indians,  and  make  settlements  in  New  Jersey ;  and  the 
towns  of  Elizabethtown,  Woodbridge,  and  Piscataway  were 
accordingly  settled.  But  the  hopes  which  he  had  entertained 
of  increasing  the  value  of  the  duke's  territories  by  this  mea- 
sure, were  soon  dissipated  by  intelligence  of  his  having  parted 
with  his  claim  to  all  the  lands  south-west  of  the  Hudson. 
The  measures  which  Nichols  had  already  taken,  gave  rise  to 
disputes  between  his  settlers  and  the  proprietaries,  which 
disturbed  the  colony  for  more  than  half  a  century. 

Nichols  endeavoured  to  prevail  on  the  duke  to  revoke  tlie 
grant;  but  this  was  not  done,  and  the  government  was  surreU' 
dered  to  Philip  Carteret,  who  arrived  in  1665,  with  thirty 


What  privileges  did  they  offer  to  set- 
tlers ? 

What  was  done  \tj  Philip  Cartmt  ? 


By  Colonel  Nichols  ? 
Bjr  the  Duke  of  York  t 


ANDR08 


131 


Bettlcrs,  and  fixed  his  residence  at  Elizabeth  town,  the  first 
capital  of  the  colony.  Here  he  remained  for  several  years- 
while  the  little  state  grew  and  flourished  under  his  prudent 
administration.  Its  free  institutions,  fertile  soil,  and  fortunate 
situation  for  commerce,  all  contributed  to  invite  settlers,  and 
advance  its  prosperity. 

In  1670,  the  earliest  quit-rents  fell  due.  The  first  demand 
of  this  tribute  excited  general  disgust.  A  numerous  party,  in- 
cluding those  who  had  settled  under  Nichols,  refused  to  ac- 
knowledge the  title  of  the  proprietors,  and  in  opposition  to  it 
set  up  titles  which  they  had  obtained  from  the  Indians.  The 
governor  struggled  hard  to  maintain  the  rights  of  the  pro- 
prietaries for  two  years,  till  at  length  an  insurrection  broke 
forth,  and  he  was  compelled  to  return  to  England,  abandoning 
the  government ;  which  was  immediately  conferred  on  a  son 
of  Sir  George  Carteret,  who  had  favoured  the  popular  party. 

In  1673,  the  Dutch  recovered  New  Jersey,  together  with 
New  York,  but  soon  afterwards  it  was  restored  to  the  English 
by  the  treaty  of  London.  After  this  event  the  Duke  of  York 
obtained  a  new  charter  for  New  York  and  New  Jersey  ;  ap- 
pointed Andros  governor  over  the  whole  reunited  province, 
and  investing  all  the  legislative  power  in  the  governor  and 
council,  established  the  same  arbitrary  government  in  New 
Jersey  which  he  had  all  along  maintained  in  New  York.  He 
promised  Sir  George  Carteret,  however,  to  renew  his  grant 
of  New  Jersey.  But  when  he  finally  performed  his  promise, 
he  still  ordered  Andros  to  maintain  his  prerogative  over  the 
whole  territory. 

In  1675,  Philip  Carteret  returned  to  New  Jersey,  and  was 
willingly  received  by  the  inhabitants,  who  had  become  hearti 
ly  weary  of  the  tyranny  of  Andros.  As  he  postponed  the 
payment  of  quit-rents  to  a  future  day,  and  published  a  new 
set  of  concessions  from  Sir  George  Carteret,  peace  and  order 
were  once  more  restored  to  the  colony.  The  only  subject  of 
uneasiness  arose  from  the  arbitrary  proceedings  of  Andros, 
who  interdicted  and  finally  destroyed  their  commerce,  exacted 
tribute,  and  even  arrested  governor  Carteret,  and  conveyed 
him  a  prisoner  to  New  York.  He  was  only  released  by  ihe 
interposition  of  the  Duke  of  York, 


What  was  the  first  capital  of  New 
Jersey  ? 

What  is  said  of  C  arteret's  administra- 
tios»  <• 

What  If  said  of  the  qi  it-rents  f 


Of  the  Dutch  ? 
Of  the  Duke  of  York  t 
Of  Phnip  Carteret  ? 
How  was  he  insulted  ^ 
How  released  ? 


d2 


BURLINGTON  SETTLED. 


Ill  1674,  Lord  Berkeley,  one  of  those  who  had  received  the 
grant  from  the  Duke  of  York,  sold  his  share  of  New  Jersey 
to  two  English  Quakers,  named  Fenwicke  and  Byllinge,  con- 
veying it  to  the  first  of  them  in  trust  for  the  other.  A  dispute 
arising  between  them,  the  matter  was  referred  to  the  eel 
brated  William  Penn,  who  decided  in  favour  of  Byllinge. 
Fenwicke  came  over  with  his  family  in  1()75,  and  settled  in 
the  western  part  of  New  Jersey. 

Byllinge  subsequently  became  emb^arrassed  in  his  pecuni- 
ary affairs,  and  made  an  assignment  of  his  claims  on  New 
Jersey  to  William  Penn,  Gawen  Lavvrie,  and  Nicholas 
Lewis,  who  assumed  the  direction  of  the  territory  thus  con- 
veyed. Their  first  care  was  to  effect  a  division  of  the  pro- 
vince between  themselves  and  Sir  George  Carteret ;  and, 
accordingly,  the  eastern  part  of  the  province  was  assigned  to 
Carteret,  under  the  name  of  East  New  Jersey ;  the  western 
part  to  Byllinge's  assigns,  who  named  their  portion  West 
New  Jersey.  The  western  proprietors  then  divided  their 
territory  into  one  hundred  lots,  ten  of  which  they  assigned 
to  Fenwicke,  <Bnd  the  remaining  ninety  they  reserved  to  be 
sold  for  the  benefit  of  Byllinge's  creditors.  They  then  gave 
the  settlers  a  free  constitution,  under  the  title  of  Concessions, 
granting  all  the  important  privileges  of  civil  and  religious 
liberty. 

In  1677,  upwards  of  four  hundred  Quakers,  many  of  them 
possessed  of  considerable  property,  arrived  from  England, 
and  settled  in  West  New  Jersey,  giving  their  first  settlement 
the  name  of  Burlington. 

The  claims  of  the  Duke  of  York  to  jurisdiction  over  New 
Jersey  continued  to  be  urged,  to  the  great  annoyance  of  the 
inhabitants,  until  1680,  when,  after  repeated  remonstrances 
to  the  English  government,  and  a  legal  decision  in  their 
favour,  the  people  finally  succeeded  in  procuring  a  formal 
recognition  of  their  independence. 

West  Jersey  now  rapidly  filled  with  inhabitants,  most  of 
them  being  of  the  Quaker  persuasion.  Their  first  represent- 
ative assembly  met  in  1681.  It  was  convoked  by  Samuel 
Jennings,  the  deputy  of  Edward  Byllinge,  their  first  governor. 


To  whom  did  Lord  Berkeley  sell  his 

part  of  New  Jersey  ? 
What  events  followed  ? 
To  whom  did  Byllinge  assign  his 

part  ? 

How  was  the  province  divided  ? 
How  were  the  parts  named  f 


How  was  tne  western  part  divided  ? 
What  was  granted  to  the  settlers  ? 
When  and  by  whom  was  Burlington 

settled  ? 
What  took  place  in  1680  ? 
When  was  the  first  assembly  co» 

voked  ? 


ANARCHY  WITHOUT  DISORDER. 


133 


In  ttiifi  assembly  was  enacted  a  body  of  Fundamental  Con- 
ititutions,  which  formed  the  future  basis  of  their  govern- 
ment. 

In  1682,  William  Penn,  and  eleven  other  persons  of  the 
society  of  Friends,  purchased  from  Sir  George  Carteret  the 
whole  province  of  East  New  Jersey.  Twelve  other  per- 
sons, of  a  different  religious  persuasion  from  their  own,  were 
then  united  with  the  purchasers,  and  to  these  twenty-four 
proprietaries  the  Duke  of  York  executed  his  third  and  last 
grant  of  East  New  Jersey ;  on  receiving  which,  they  pro- 
ceeded to  organise  a  proprietary  government.  The  first  go- 
vernor was  the  celebrated  Robert  Barclay,  author  of  the 
*  Apology  for  the  Quakers;'  who  was  appointed  for  life. 
Under  his  brief  administration  a  large  number  of  emigrants 
arrived  from  Scotland.    Barclay  died  in  1690. 

On  his  accession  to  the  throne,  James  II,  utterly  disregard- 
ing the  engagements  he  had  entered  into  as  Duke  of  York, 
attempted  to  deprive  New  Jersey  of  its  chartered  privileges, 
and  was  only  prevented  from  the  execution  of  his  purpose  by 
the  revolution,  which  deprived  him  of  the  throne  in  1688. 

From  that  period  till  1692,  Chalmers  asserts,  that  no  go- 
vernment whatever  existed  in  New  Jersey  ;  and  it  is  highly 
creditable  to  the  society  of  Friends,  whose  members  com- 
posed the  main  part  of  the  population,  that  the  peace  of  the 
country  and  the  prosperity  of  its  inhabitants  were  promoted 
during  this  interval  by  their  own  honesty,  sobriety,  and 
industry. 

The  pretensions  of  New  York  to  jurisdiction  over  New 
Jersey  were  revived  under  William  and  Mary,  which  cir- 
cumstance led  to  much  angry  discussion,  until,  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne,  the  proprietaries, 
wearied  with  continual  embarrassments  and  disputes,  surren- 
dered their  powers  of  government  to  the  crown.  The  queen 
forthwith  united  East  and  West  New  Jersey  into  one  pro- 
vince, and  committed  the  government  of  it,  as  well  as  of 
New  York,  to  her  kinsman.  Lord  Cornbury.  His  adminis- 
tration here,  as  well  as  in  the  neighbouring  colony,  was  only 
distinguished  by  his  arrogant  attempts  to  overawe  and  dictate 
to  the  colonial  assemblies,  and  their  firm  and  resolute  resist- 
ance of  his  assumptions  of  arbitrary  power. 

What  was  done  by  it  ? 
Who  purchased  East  New  Jersey  in 
1682  ? 

Who  was  the  first  governor 
Wfi^t  was  attempted  by  James  II  f 
^ow  wag  Ms  design  frustrated  ? 


19 


What  is  said  by  Chalmers 

What  is  said  of  the  Friends  ? 

What  was  done  by  the  proprieta. 

ries  ? 
By  Queen  Anne  ? 
By  Lord  Cornboiy  ? 


34 


NASSAU  HALL  FOUNDED 


After  his  recall,  New  York  and  New  Jersey  continue  1  toi 
many  years  to  be  ruled  by  the  same  governor,  each  choosing 
a  separate  assembly  ;  and  it  was  not  t.U  1738,  that  a  separate 
governor  for  New  Jersey  was  appointed  at  the  instance  of 
the  people.  Lewis  Moiris  was  the  first  governor  under  this 
new  arrangement.  The  college  of  Nassau  Hall,  at  Prince- 
ton, was  founded  the  same  year. 

After  this  period,  no  remarkable  circumstance  transpired  in 
this  province,  until  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  the 
period  to  which  we  are  now  bringing  up  the  history  of  the 
several  colonies,  with  a  view  to  proceed  afterwards  with  an 
account  of  their  united  operations  in  the  French  war  of  1754. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

COLONISATION  OF  DELAWARE. 

Delaware  was  first  settled  in  1627.  William  Usselin,  an 
eminent  Swedish  merchant,  being  satisfied  of  the  advantages 
of  colonising  the  country  in  the  neighbourhood  of  New 
Netherlands,  gained  the  permission  of  Gustavus  Adolphus, 
King  of  Sweden,  to  form  a  company  for  the  purpose.  Large 
sums  of  money  were  accordingly  contributed,  and  a  colony 
of  Swedes  and  Finns  sent  out,  who  first  landed  at  Cape 
Henlopen,  the  delightful  appearance  of  which  induced  them 
to  give  it  the  name  of  Paradise  Point.  They,  soon  after, 
nought  of  the  natives  the  land  from  that  cape  to  the  falls  of 
the  Delaware ;  and  scattered  their  settlements  along  the 
shores  of  the  river. 

Their  first  settlement  was  near  Wilmington,  at  the  mouth 
of  Christina  creek,  and  they  afterwards  built  forts  at  Lewis- 
town  and  Tinicum  isle :  which  last  was  the  seat  of  govern- 
naent  of  their  colony  of  New  Swedeland,  or  New  Sweden, 
as  they  were  pleased  to  call  it.  Here  John  Printz,  their 
governor,  built  himself  a  spacious  mansion,  which  he  called 
Prmtz  Hall ;  and  supported  the  dignity  of  a  colonial  viceroy. 

The  empire  was  destined,  however,  to  a  speedy  termina 
tion.    The  Dutchmen  of  New  Netherlands  could  not  bear 


How  were  affairs  managed  after  his 

reca'l  ? 
What  took  place  in  1738  ? 
Wbev  was  Delaware  first  settled  i 


Give  an  account  of  the  settlement 
Where  did  the  Swedes  build  fiorto  i 
What  is  said  of  Printz  ? 
Of  the  Dutcb? 


THE  LOWER  COUNTIES  OF  THE  DELAWARE.  19^ 

«he  presejce  of  so  Ibrmidable  a  rival.  They  built  a  fort  in 
1651  at  New  Castle,  in  the  very  centre,  as  it  were,  of  New 
Sweden,  and,  notwithstanding  the  protestations  of  Printz, 
held  it  till  the  accession  of  Risingh,  his  successor.  This 
governor  employed  a  most  unworthy  stratagem  for  displacmg 
the  intruders.  Being  on  an  apparently  friendly  visit  to  the 
commander  of  the  fort,  and  observing  the  weakness  of  the 
garrison,  he  incontinently  took  possession  of  it,  disarmed  the 
Boldiers,  and  made  them  swear  allegiance  to  his  sovereign. 
An  account  of  this  important  affair,  coloured  to  the  life,  may 
be  found  in  Knickerbocker's  celebrated  History  of  New 
York. 

Peter  Stuyvesant,  the  Dutch  governor  of  New  York,  in 
revenge  for  this  insult,  fitted  out  a  grand  armament,  invaded 
New  Sweden,  and  reduced  the  whole  colony  to  complete 
subjection  ;  sending  many  of  the  inhabitants  to  the  mother 
country,  while  the  remainder  quietly  mingled  with  the  con- 
querors, and  adopted  their  government,  laws,  and  manners. 

When  the  English  conquered  New  Netherlands,  after- 
wards called  New  York,  they  also  obtained  Delaware,  which 
was  considered  a  part  of  that  territory.  In  1682,  New  Cas- 
tle, and  the  country  for  a  compass  of  twelve  miles  round  it, 
were  purchased  of  the  Duke  of  York  by  William  Penn,  who 
afterwards  extended  his  purchase  to  Cape  Henlopen.  This 
country,  called  the  Lower  Counties  of  the  Delaware,  re- 
mained a  portion  of  William  Penn's  colony  of  Pennsylvania 
for  twenty  years  afterwards. 

In  1703,  the  Lower  Counties  were  separated  from  Penn- 
sylvania ;  and  have  since  retained  their  independence  of  any 
other  colony,  under  the  name  of  Delaware. 

The  limited  extent  of  its  territory  gives  this  state  rather  a 
diminutive  appearance  on  the  map;  but  its  soldiers  have  evei 
been  among  the  bravest  in  defence  of  our  liberties,  and  its 
statesmen  have  at  all  periods  exerted  a  commanding  influence 
in  the  couLcils  of  the  nation. 


Of  Risingh  ? 
Of  Stuyvesant  ? 

01  the  inhabitants  of  New  Sweden  ? 
Of  the  English  ? 
OCWflliamPenn? 


Of  the  Lower  Counties  on  the  Dela- 
ware ? 

Of  the  soldier?  and  statesmen  of  De- 
laware ? 


186 


WILLIAM  PENK. 


CHAPTER  XVIL 


COLONISATION  OF  PENNSYLVANIA* 

This  colony  was  founded  by  the  celebrated  William  Vetin^ 
m  1681.  He  was  the  son  of  Sir  William  Penn,  a  British 
admiral,  who,  under  the  protectorate  of  Cromwell,  eflected 
the  conquest  of  Jamaica,  for  the  British  crown.  He  also 
performed  important  services  for  the  Stuart  family,  and,  after 
the  Restoration,  enjoyed  high  favour  at  the  court.  Young 
Penn  was  early  entered  as  a  commoner  at  Oxford  university, 
but  havm^  imbibed  a  strong  predilection  for  Quaker  senti- 
ments, he  espoused  the  cause  of  that  sect  with  so  much 
warmth  that  he,  with  several  others,  was  expelled  from  the 
university. 

His  father,  wishing  to  divert  his  mind  from  religious  sub- 
jects, sent  him  to  travel  in  France,  and  this  scheme  seems  to 
have  been  attended  with  partial  success  ;  but,  after  his  return, 
having  gone  to  Ireland,  to  inspect  an  estate  that  belonged  to 
his  father,  he  there  met  with  the  same  preacher  who  had  first 
attracted  his  attention  to  the  principles  of  Quakerism,  ten 
years  before,  and  the  consequence  was  a  new  and  determined 
adoption  of  his  former  beKef.  His  father,  disappointed  in 
his  hopes  of  worldly  advancement  for  his  son,  abandoned  hira 
to  his  own  course. 

He  then  commenced  preacher,  and  gained  many  proselytes. 
Though  often  imprisoned,  and  constantly  persecuted,  he  still 
persevered  ;  and  such  was  his  sincerity,  zeal,  and  patience, 
that  his  father  finally  became  reconciled  to  him.  In  1670,  he 
was  tried  at  the  Old  Bailey,  for  preaching  in  the  street,  and 
pleaded  his  own  case  with  such  firmness  and  resolution,  that 
he  was  honourably  acquitted. 

On  the  death  of  his  father  he  became  heir  to  a  handsome 
estate,  but  he  continued  to  preach,  write,  and  suffer  persecu- 
tion as  before. 

The  attention  of  Penn  was  attracted  to  colonisation,  by  the 
interest  which  he  took  in  the  affairs  of  New  Jersey.  Leam- 
ing  that  a  large  tract  of  land,  lying  between  the  possessions 


WYi^n  was  Pennsylvania  founded  ? 
What  is  siil  of  Admiral  Penn  ? 
Of  William  Penn  ? 
What  transpired  in  France  ? 
In  Ireland  ? 


What  is  said  of  his  father  ? 
Of  his  career  as  a  preacher  ? 
Of  hitf  trial  ? 

How  wTKs  Penn's  attention  first  direct 
ed  to  eolonisatioii  t 


CHARTER  OP  PENNSYLVAITIA, 


137 


df  the  Duke  of  York,  and  those  of  Lord  Baltinrjore,  was  still 
unoccupied,  he  formed  the  noble  design  of  founding  there  a 
new  state,  in  which  the  liberal  ideas  he  had  formed  of  civil 
and  religious  liberty  should  be  fully  realised.  He  accordingly 
presented  a  petition  to  Charles  II,  urging  his  claim  for  a  debt 
incurred  by  the  crown  to  his  father,  and  soliciting  a  grant  of 
the  land  on  which  he  desired  to  settle.  A  charter  was  readily 
granted  by  the  king. 

It  was  issued  under  the  great  seal  on  the  6th  of  March, 
1681.  The  name  to  be  given  to  the  new  province  had  ex- 
cited some  debate.  There  was  already  a  New  England,  and 
a  Nova  Scotia  or  New  Scotland.  William  Penn's  first  pro- 
ject was  to  style  his  grant  New  Wales  ;  but  this  title  found 
little  favour.  Seeing  this,  and  having  learned  that  it  was  a 
very  well-wooded  country,  he  proposed  the  name  of  Sylvania ; 
this  pleased  King  Charles,  but  out  of  esteem  for  Admiral 
Penn,  he  insisted  upon  putting  his  name  before  it,  so  that  in 
the  royal  charter  the  name -appeared  as  Pennsylvania. 

The  neighbouring  colony  of  Maryland  had  prospered  under 
an  individual  proprietor,  and  New  York  had  become  to  a 
great  extent  English  under  similar  rule. 

This  charter  constituted  William  Penn  and  his  heirs  true 
and  absolute  proprietaries  of  the  province  of  Pennsylvania, 
saving  to  the  crown  their  allegiance,  and  the  sovereignty.  Il 
gave  him  and  his  heirs,  and  their  deputies,  power  to  make 
laws,  with  the  advice  of  the  freemen,  and  to  erect  courts  of 
justice,  for  the  execution  of  those  laws,  provided  they  should 
not  be  repugnant  to  the  laws  of  England. 

Penn  now  invited  purchasers  ;  and  a  large  number,  chiefly 
of  his  own  persuasion,  prepared  to  emigrate.  Some  merchants 
forming  a  compan\  ,  purchased  20,000  acres  of  land  at  the  rate 
of  twenty  pounds  for  every  thousand  acres.  In  May,  1681, 
he  despatched  Markham,  his  relative,  with  a  company  of  emi- 
grants, to  take  possession  of  the  territory.  He  at  the  same 
time  despatched  a  letter  to  the  Indians,  assuring  them  of  his 
just  and  friendly  mtentions  with  respect  to  themselves. 

In  the  following  April,  Penn  published  '  the  frame  of  go- 
vernment for  Pennsylvania,'  and,  in  May,  a  body  of  ltiW8 
which  had  been  agreed  upon  by  himself,  and  the  adventurers 
in  England,  which  was  intended  as  a  great  charter,  and  which, 


How  did  he  obtain  his  charter  ? 
What  were  its  terms  ? 
Who  purchased  lands  f 
Who  endgrated  p 


When  ? 

To  whom  did  Penn  write  a  letter  i 
Wha*  did  he  publish  in  April,  1681  ? 
What  is  said  of  these  laws  f 


138 


PENN's  treaty  with  the  INDIANS. 


says  Chalmers,  '  does  great  honour  to  their  wisdom  as  states- 
men, to  their  morals  as  men,  to  their  spirit  as  colonists. 

To  prevent  future  claims  to  the  province  by  the  Duke  of 
York,  or  his  heirs,  Penn  obtained  from  him  his  deed  of  re- 
lease for  it;  and,  as  an  additional  grant,  he  procured  from  him 
also,  his  right  and  interest  in  that  tract  of  land,  which  was  at 
first  called  the  '  Territories  of  Pennsylvania,'  and  afterwards, 
the  *  Three  Lower  Counties  on  Delaware.'  This  constitutes, 
as  we  have  already  remarked,  the  present  state  of  Delaware 

Penn,  having  completed  these  arrangements,  embarked,  in 
August,  for  America,  accompanied  by  a  large  number  of  emi- 
grants, chiefly  of  his  own  religious  persuasion.  He  landed 
at  New  Castle,  on  the  24th  of  October.  The  next  day  the 
people  were  summoned  to  the  court  house ;  possession  of 
the  country  was  legally  given  to  the  proprietary ;  and  the 
people  were  acquainted  by  him  with  the  design  of  his  coming, 
and  the  nature  of  the  government  which  he  came  to  establish. 

He  then  proceeded  to  Upland,  now  called  Chester,  and  there 
called  an  assembly  on  the  4th  of  December.  This  assembly 
passed  an  act  of  union,  annexing  the  Three  Lower  Counties 
to  the  province,  and  an  act  of  settlement  in  reference  to  the 
frame  of  government.  The  foreigners,  residing  in  the  pro- 
vince, were  naturalised,  and  the  laws,  agreed  on  in  England, 
were  passed  in  form.  Penn  then  selected  the  site  of  an  ex 
tensive  city,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  Philadelphia,  and 
laid  out  the  plan  on  which  it  should  be  built.  Before  the  end 
of  the  year  it  contained  eighty  dwellings. 

Penn's  next  step  was  to  enter  into  a  treaty  with  the  Indian 
tribes  in  his  neighbourhood.  Regarding  them  as  the  rightful 
possessors  of  the  soil,  he  fairly  purchased  from  them  their 
.ands,  giving  in  exchange  valuable  European  goods  and  com- 
modities, such  as  were  useful  to  them.  This  treaty,  executed 
without  the  formality  of  an  oath,  was  inviolably  preserved  for 
a  period  of  seventy  years. 

Within  a  year,  between  twenty  and  thirty  vessels,  with 
passengers,  arrived  in  the  province.  The  banks  of  the  Delar 
ware  were  rapidly  settled,  from  the  falls  of  Trenton,  to  Ches- 
ter The  emigrants  were  chiefly  Quakers  from  England, 
Wales,  and  Ireland.    A  party  from  Germany  settled  in  and 


What  did  Penn  obtain  from  the  Duke 

of  York  ? 
When  did  he  embark  for  America  ? 
Where  did  he  land  ? 
What  was  done  next  day  ? 
Wliat  wag  done  at  Chester  ? 


Of  what  city  did  he  then  lay  out  the 
plan  ? 

With  whom  did  he  make  a  treaty  i 

What  is  said  of  it  P 

What  settlers  arrived  ? 

Where  did  they  establish  theIIue^ve0 


PENNSYLVANIA  l;NDER  WILLIAM  AND  MARY.  138 

near  Germantown,  in  1682.  On  landing,  they  set  about  pro- 
curing shelter.  Some  lodged  in  the  woods  under  trees,  some 
in  caves  which  were  easily  dug  on  the  high  banks  of  the 
Wissahiccon  and  the  Delaware,  and  others  in  hastily  built 
huts.  They  were  abundantly  supplied  with  wood,  water,  and 
fertile  land ;  and  they  brought  with  them  the  implements  foi 
building  and  husbandry.  They  soon  formed  plantations  of 
Indian  corn  and  wheat.  The  forests  furnished  deer,  wild 
turkeys,  and  pigeons ;  and  the  rivers  abounded  with  fish. 
The  settlers  endured  some  hardships,  it  is  true,  but  they  were 
in  a  rich  country,  and  their  knowledge  of  its  resources,  and 
of  the  free  institutions  which  they  were  to  transmit  to  theif 
posterity,  enabled  them  to  conquer  all  difficulties. 

A  second  assembly  was  held  at  Philadelphia,  in  March 
1683.  During  this  session,  Penn  created  a  second  frame  of 
government,  differing  in  some  points*  from  the  former,  to 
which  the  assembly  readily  granted  assent.  They  also  enact- 
ed a  variety  of  salutary  regulations,  by  which  the  growing 
prosperity  of  the  province  was  promoted,  and  its  peace  and 
order  preserved.  Within  four  years  from  the  date  of  the 
^rant  to  Penn,  the  province  contained  twenty  settlements,  and 
Philadelphia  2,000  inhabitants. 

Having  received  information  from  his  agent  that  his  pre- 
sence was  required  in  England,  Penn  departed  from  America 
in  August,  1684,  leaving  the  province  under  the  government 
of  five  commissioners,  chosen  from  the  provincial  council. 
Soon  after  his  return,  James  II  ascended  the  throne.  Penn's 
attachment  to  the  Stuart  family,  induced  him  to  adhere  to 
this  unfortunate  monarch  till  long  after  his  fall ;  and  for  two 
years  after  the  revolution  which  placed  William  and  Mary  on 
the  throne,  the  province  was  administered  in  the  name  ot 
James.  This  could  not  fail  to  draw  down  the  indignation  of 
King  William  on  the  devoted  head  of  the  proprietary,  who 
suffered  much  persecution  for  his  unflinching  loyalty.  He 
was  four  times  imprisoned.  The  king  took  the  government 
of  Pennsylvania  into  his  own  hands ;  and  appointed  Colone. 
Fletcher  to  administer  the  government  of  this  province,  as 
well  as  that  of  New  York.  It,  at  length,  became  apparent  to 
the  king  that  Penn's  attachment  to  the  Stuarts  was  merely 
personal,  and  not  attended  with  any  treasonable  designs ;  and 
he  was  restored  to  favour.    Being  permitted  to  resume  and 


Describe  their  operations. 
What  was  done  in  1683  ? 
What  is  said  cf  the  increase  of  the 
eolony  f 


When  did  Penn  return  to  England  ? 
To  what  family  was  Penn  a  ttached? 
What  was  the  consequence  ? 
How  did  he  recover  hii  iigfats  ? 


140 


NftW  CHARTERS  GRANTED. 


exercise  his  rights,  he  appointed  William  Markham  to  be  hiil 
deputy  governor. 

In  1696,  the  assembly  complained  to  Governor  Markham 
of  a  breach  of  their  chartered  privileges  ;  and,  in  consequence 
of  their  remonstrance,  a  bill  of  settlement,  prepared  and  passed 
by  the  assembly,  was  approved  by  the  governor,  forming  the 
third  frame  of  government  of  Pennsylvania. 

In  1699,  Penn  again  visited  his  colony,  accompanied  by 
his  family,  with  the  design  of  spending  the  remainder  of  his 
life  among  his  people.  He  was  disappointed,  however,  by 
finding  the  colonists  dissatisfied  with  the  existing  state  of 
things.  Negro  slavery,  and  the  intercourse  with  the  Indian 
tribes,  those  prolific  sources  of  disquiet  in  all  periods  of  our 
history,  were  the  subjects  of  much  unpleasant  altercation  be 
tween  the  proprietary  and  the  colonists.  Certain  laws,  which 
he  prepared  for  regulating  these  aflfairs,  were  rejected  by  the 
assembly.  His  exertions,  in  recommending  a  liberal  system 
to  his  own  sect,  were  attended  with  better  success,  and  the 
final  abolition  of  slavery,  in  Pennsylvania,  was  ultimately 
owing  to  their  powerful  influence. 

Penn  soon  determined  to  return  to  England,  and  he  naturally 
desired  to  have  some  frame  of  government  firmly  established 
before  his  departure.  In  1701,  he  prepared  one  which  was 
readily  accepted  by  the  assembly.  It  gave  them  the  right  of 
originating  laws,  which  had  previously  been  vested  in  the 
governor;  it  allowed  to  the  governor  a  negative  on  bills 
passed  by  the  assembly,  together  with  the  right  of  appointing 
his  own  council,  and  of  exercising  the  whole  executive  power. 
This  new  charter  the  Three  Lower  Counties  refused  to  ac- 
cept ;  and  they  were  consequently  separated  from  Penn- 
sylvania ;  electing  an  assembly  of  their  own,  but  acknowledg- 
ing the  same  governor. 

Immediately  after  the  acceptance  of  his  fourth  charter,  Penn 
returned  to  England.  Here  he  was  harassed  by  complaints 
against  the  administration  of  his  deputy  governor,  Evans, 
whom  he  finally  displaced,  appointing  Charles  Gookin  in  his 
place.  Finding  the  discontents  were  still  not  allayed,  Penn, 
now  in  his  sixty-sixth  year,  addressed  the  assembly  for  the 
last  time,  in  a  letter,  which  marks  the  mild  dignity  and  wis- 
dom of  his  character  and  the  affectionate  concern  which  he 


What  was  done  in  1696  ? 
In  1699  ? 

D««cribe  the  form  of  goTeiment 
adopted  m  1701. 


What  IS  said  of  the  Lower  Coun 
ties  ? 

When  did  Penn  return  to  EInglandf 
What  followed  f 


franklin's  mission  to  LONDON. 


141 


felt  for  the  future  welfare  of  the  province.  This  letter  is  said 
to  have  produced  a  powerful  effect ;  but  before  this  could  be 
known  to  the  illustrious  founder,  he  had  been  seized  with  the 
disease  which  terminated  his  arctive  and  useful  life.  By  the 
universal  consent  of  historians  and  statesmen,  Perm  has  been 
placed  in  the  very  highest  rank  among  the  benefactors  and 
moral  reformers  of  mankind.  The  influence  of  his  character 
has  never  ceased  to  be  felt  in  the  institutions  of  the  state 
which  he  founded ;  and  his  memory  will  be  cherished  by  a 
grateful  people  to  the  remotest  ages. 

7'he  legislatures  and  governors  of  Pennsylvania,  acting  on 
the  principles  of  their  founder,  acquired  by  equitable  pur- 
chases from  the  Indians,  a  most  extensive  and  unembarrassed 
territory,  which  was  rapidly  filled  with  settlers.  The  only 
subject  of  disquiet  in  the  colony,  for  many  years,  was  a  dis- 
pute between  the  governors  and  assembly,  on  the  question  of 
exempting  lands  of  the  proprietary  from  general  taxation,  9 
claim  which  the  people  resisted  as  unjust.  After  many  dis- 
putes on  this  subject,  the  assembly  deputed  the  celebrated 
Benjamin  Franklin,  as  an  agent  to  London,  to  petition  the 
king  for  redress.  The  subject  was  brought  before  the  privy 
council,  and  finally  adjusted  by  a  compromise;  Franklin,  as 
agent,  entering  into  engagements  that  the  taxes  should  be 
assessed  in  a  fair  and  equitable  manner;  and  the  governor 
assenting  to  the  bill  for  levying  them. 

After  the  commencement  of  the  revolutionary  war,  a  new 
constitution  was  adopted  by  the  people,  which  excluded  the 
proprietary  from  all  share  in  the  government.  His  claim  to 
quit-rents  was  afterwards  purchased  for  570,000  dollars. 

Pennsylvania,  which,  excepting  Georgia,  was  the  last  of 
the  colonies  settled,  had  a  more  rapid  increase  than  any  of 
her  competitors,  in  wealth  and  population.  In  1775,  she 
possessed  a  population  of  372,208  inhabitants,  collected  and 
raised  in  less  than  a  century. 


Wbat  is  said  of  h&s  last  letter,  and  itc 

effect? 
When  did  he  die  ? 
What  was  his  character  ? 
Sow  did  the  legislatures  aid  govern- 


ors of  Pennsylvania  extend  their 

territories  ? 
What  was  a  subject  of  dispute  ? 
How  was  the  matter  adjusted  f 
What  is  said  of  the  increase  of  the 

colonj  ? 


142 


HEATH  8  fATENT. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

COLONISATION  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


The  uns'accessful  attempts  of  the  French,  under  A.dmirai 
Coligny,  to  form  permanent  settlements  on  the  coast  of  Caro- 
lina, have  already  been  noticed.  Those  which  were  made 
under  Elizabeth,  by  Raleigh  and  Gilbert,  have  been  comprised 
in  the  history  of  Virginia,  of  which  colony  Carolina  was  then 
considered  a  part.  But  for  the  removal  of  the  settlers  into 
Virginia,  Carolina  would  have  been  the  first  permanent  Eng- 
lish colony  in  America. 

It  was  not  till  the  year  1630,  that  Sir  Robert  Heath,  at- 
torney general  of  Charles  I,  obtained  a  patent  for  the  region 
south  of  Virginia,  bounded  north  by  the  36th  degree  of  north 
latitude,  and  extending  to  Louisiana.  This  immense  territory 
was  named  Carolina.  Heath's  patent  led  to  no  settlements, 
however,  and  was  consequently  declared  void. 

Between  the  years  1640  and  1650,  a  considerable  numbei 
of  persons,  suffering  from  religious  intolerance  in  Virginia, 
fled  beyond  her  limits  ;  and,  without  a  grant  from  any  quarter, 
settled  that  portion  of  North  Carolina  which  lies  north  of 
Albemarle  Sound.  They  found  a  mild  climate,  and  a  fertile 
soil ;  and,  as  their  cattle  and  swine  procured  their  own  sub 
sistence  in  the  woods  and  multiplied  rapidly,  they  were 
able  to  live  in  comparative  ease  and  abundance.  They  ac- 
knowledged no  sovereign,  and  obeyed  no  laws,  but  such  as 
resulted  from  their  own  sense  of  right  and  wrong.  Several 
families,  from  Massachusetts,  settled  soon  after  near  Cape 
Fear,  but  their  lands  and  fisheries  proving  unproductive,  the} 
were  under  the  necessity  of  obtaining  relief  from  their  pareni 
colony. 

The  final  settlement  of  Carolina  originated  with  Lord 
Clarendon,  and  other  courtiers  of  Charles  H.  On  their  ap- 
plication for  a  charter,  he  granted  them,  in  1663,  all  the  lands 
lying  between  the  31st  and  36th  degrees  of  north  latitude, 
and  extending  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific.  The  charter 
granted  the  usual  power  to  make  laws,  with  the  approbation 
of  the  freemen  of  the  colony ;  and  reserved  to  the  croAim  the 


In  what  colony  was  North  Carolina 

originally  included  ? 
VIThat  is  said  of  Heath's  patent  ? 


Describe  the  earliest  permanent  settl** 

ment  at  Albemarle. 
To  whom  did  Charles  II  gnnt  » 


REVOLT  OF  THE  PEOPLE  OF   ALB£MARI£.  143 


right  of  sovereignty.  Religious  freedom  was  also  specially 
provided  for. 

The  proprietaries,  by  virtue  of  this  charter,  claimed  all  the 
lands  of  Carolina,  and  jurisdiction  over  all  who  had  settled 
on  them.  The  settlers  in  Albemarle,  being  placed  under  the 
superintendence  of  Sir  William  Berkeley,  governor  of  Vii- 
ginia,  he  visited  the  colony,  confirmed  the  land  titles,  ap- 
pointed civil  officers,  authorised  the  calling  of  a  general  as- 
sembly ;  and,  when  these  arrangements  were  completed, 
entrusted  the  government  to  Mr.  Drummond. 

The  inhabitants  of  Albemarle  were  not  satisfied  with  the 
new  order  of  things.  They  petitioned  to  hold  their  *ands  on 
the  same  tenure  as  lands  were  held  in  Virginia ;  and,  not 
receiving  a  favourable  answer,  they  broke  out  in  insurrection, 
and  remained  in  open  revolt  for  nearly  two  years ;  but  they 
returned  to  their  allegiance  on  receiving  assurance  that  theii 
petition  was  granted,  md  that  Samuel  Stephens,  who,  in 
1667,  had  been  appointed  governor,  would  give  them  lands 
in  Albemarle,  on  the  same  terms  as  they  were  usually  granted 
in  Virginia.  A  constitution  was  at  the  same  time  fixed,  pro- 
viding for  the  annual  election  of  a  legislature,  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  governor  and  half  the  council  by  the  proprieta- 
ries, and  the  right  of  the  assembly  to  regulate  taxation.  In 
1669,  governor  Stephens  convoked  the  first  assembly  under 
this  constitution. 

It  was  in  the  same  year  that  the  Earl  of  Shaftesbury,  being 
commissioned  to  prepare  the  fundamental  constitutions  of 
Carolina,  employed,  for  that  purpose,  the  celebrated  John 
Locke.  His  system,  however,  was  found  to  be  totally  inap- 
plicable to  the  purposes  for  which  it  was  designed.  It  was 
ultimately  abrogated  by  consent  of  the  legislature. 

Meantime  some  settlers  near  Cape  Fear  were  formed  into 
a  separate  county,  called  Clarendon,  undei*  the  direction  of 
Sir  John  Yeamans,  as  commander  in  chief.  North  Carolina 
was,  in  fact,  divided  into  two  distinct  colonies,  Albemarle 
and  Clarendon,  with  a  governor  to  each  ;  but  this  arrange 
ment  was  not  of  long  duration. 

In  1670,  William  Sayle,  being  sent  out  by  the  proprieta- 
ries of  North  Carolina,  settled  at  Port  Royal ;  and  in  the 
following  year,  being  dissatisfied,  he  formed  another  settle- 
ment on  the  banks  of  the  Cooper  and  Ashle;"  rivers,  which, 


What  was  done  by  Sir  William 

Berkeley  ? 
By  the  inhabitants  of  Albemarle  i 
Htm  w«re  they  saUsfied  ? 


When  was  the  first  assembly  con- 
voked ?   By  whom  ? 
What  is  said  of  Locke's  constitntiog  f 
Of  t|i0  lettlers  near  Cape  Fear  ? 


144 


CULPEPPER  S  INSURRECTION. 


in  honour  of  the  king,  was  called  Charleston.  This  ulti 
niately  led  to  the  establishment  of  a  separate  colony,  which 
was  called  South  Carolina.  Sir  John  Yeamans  was,  soon 
after,  made  governor  of  this  new  colony.  Clarendon  and 
Albemarle  were  united,  and  formed  the  original  foundation 
of  tht  present  State  of  North  Carolina. 

The  settlers  of  this  northern  colony  were  scattered  along 
the  coast,  the  sounds,  and  the  rivers.  Their  progress  was 
slow,  and,  in  1702,  the  population  was  no  more  than  6,000. 
Their  prosperity  was  hindered  by  some  disadvantages  of 
local  situation  ;  but  still  more  by  civil  dissensions. 

In  IG*^?,  the  dissatisfaction  of  the  colonists  with  the  mea- 
sures of  the  deputy  governor,  led  to  an  open  insurrection 
headed  by  one  Culpepper,  who  imprisoned  the  proprietary 
officers,  seized  the  royal  revenue ;  and,  in  fact,  exercised  all 
the  powers  of  an  independent  government.  After  two  years 
of  successful  revolt,  the  insurgents,  apprehending  an  inva- 
sion from  Virginia,  sent  Culpepper  and  Holden  to  England, 
to  offer  submission,  on  condition  of  having  their  past  pro- 
ceedings ratified.  But  Culpepper  was  seized,  and  tried  for 
high  treason.  The  influence  of  Lord  Shaftesbury  saved  him 
from  conviction  ;  and  the  proprietaries  sent  out  Seth  Sothel 
to  restore  order  in  the  colony.  His  administration  was  ut- 
terly corrupt  and  tyrannical;  and  the  inhabitants,  after  six 
years'  endurance  of  his  oppression,  seized  him  in  order  to 
send  him  to  England  for  trial ;  but,  at  his  request,  he  was 
detained  and  tried  by  the  assembly,  who  banished  him  from 
the  colony.  He  was  succeeded  by  Philip  Ludwell.  After 
this  event,  we  find  few  transactions  of  much  interest  in  the 
colony,  excepting  the  arrival  of  some  German  settlers  at 
Roanoke,  in  1710,  until  the  year  1712,  when  the  Tuscarora 
and  Coree  Indians,  alarmed  at  the  increase  of  the  white 
population,  formed  a  conspiracy  for  destroying  the  colony 
by  a  general  massacre.  Twelve  hundred  warriors  united  in 
this  plot,  and  agreed  to  commence  their  attack  on  the  same 
night.  When  the  time  came,  they  severally  entered  the 
houses  of  the  planters,  asked  for  provisions,  and,  affecting 
to  be  displeased  with  them,  murdered  men,  women,  and 
children,  without  distinction  or  mercy.    Their  measures  were 


Of  North  Carolina  ? 

When  was  Old  Charleston  settled  ? 

By  whom  ? 

What  did  this  lead  to  ? 
What  is  said  of  the  nortjiero  coloDy> 
Mid  its  propretf  f 


Give  an  account  of  Culpepper H  in 

surrection. 
How  did  it  tenninate  ? 
What  took  place  in  171)0  / 
In  1713? 


8EFARATI0N  OF  THE  CAROLIXAS. 


115 


taken  with  such  secrecy  and  despatch,  that  no  alarm  was 
spread  until  each  house  was  the  scene  of  a  murderous  tra- 
gedy. At  Roanoke,  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  of  the 
settlers  were  massacred.  A  few  escaped  to  the  other  settle- 
ments ;  and  they  were  placed  in  a  posture  of  defence,  until 
assistance  should  arrive  from  South  Carolina. 

Colonel  Barnwell  of  South  Carolina  was  sent,  with  600 
militia  and  366  Indians,  to  their  relief.  A.^ter  marching 
through  a  wilderness  of  200  miles,  he  arrived  at  the  encamp- 
ment of  the  Indians,  attacked  and  defeated  them,  killing  300 
of  their  number,  and  taking  100  prisoners.  The  survivors 
sued  for  peace.  Hostilities  were  soon  after  renewed,  and 
the  Indians  suffered  another  terrible  defeat  from  a  party 
under  Colonel  James  Moore.  Disheartened  by  these  re- 
peated disasters,  the  Tuscaroras  abandoned  their  ancient 
haunts,  and,  migrating  to  the  north,  united  themselves  with 
the  Five  Nations,  constituting  the  sixth  of  that  famous  con- 
federacy. 

After  South  Carolina  was  settled,  that  colony  and  North 
Carolina  had  remained  distinct,  so  far  as  to  have  separate 
governors  and  assemblies ;  but  they  had  remained  under  the 
same  proprietaries.  In  1729,  seven  of  the  proprietaries  sold 
their  rights,  and  they  were  completely  separated.  This 
measure  promoted  the.  peace,  security,  and  happiness  of  both 
colonies.  The  last  of  the  proprietary  governors  of  North 
Carolina  was  Sir  Richard  Everhard.  The  first  royal  go- 
vernor was  George  Harrington. 

The  population  of  North  Carolina  increased  but  slowly  for 
the  first  hundred  years.  About  the  middle  of  the  eighteeiith 
century,  it  was  ascertained  that  the  lands  of  the  interior  were 
far  more  fertile  than  those  on  the  coast.  From  this  time 
emigrants,  chiefly  from  Pennsylvania,  poured  into  that  re- 
gion in  great  numbers,  and  the  lands  were  speedily  brought 
into  a  state  of  high  cultivation.  In  1775,  the  population  of 
tne  colony  was  estimated  at  a  quarter  of  a  million. 


What  is  said  of  Colonel  Barnwell  ? 
Oi  the  Tuscaroras  ? 
How  was  the  separation  of  North  and 
lioctb  Ctrolina  effected . 


What  was  its  effect  ? 
Give  the  subsequect  lemartt  oi 
Nortk  CaroliiiA. 


18 


lie 


8ATLE  8  SETTLEMENT 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

COLONISATION  OF  SOUTH  CAROLINA. 

The  reader  is  already  apprised  of  the  intimate  connection 
between  the  history  of  this  province  and  that  of  North  Caro- 
lina. They  were,  for  a  long  period,  under  the  same  proprie- 
taries :  but  in  all  other  respects,  they  remained  distinct,  from 
heir  first  settlement. 

The  first  effective  settlement,  by  governor  Sayle,  was  made 
at  Port  Roval,  in  1670.  He  was  accon\panied  by  Joseph 
West,  who,  for  upwards  of  twenty  years,  bore  the  chief  sway 
in  Carolina,  and  was  now  entrusted  with  the  management  of 
the  commercial  aff*airs  of  the  proprietaries,  on  whom  the  colo- 
nists long  depended  for  their  foreign  supplies.  The  settlers 
brought  with  them  the  famous  constitution  prepared  by  John 
Locke,  but  on  arriving  at  their  destination,  they  found  it  to  be 
more  applicable  to  an  old  and  populous,  than  a  new  and  un- 
settled country.  The  order  of  nobles,  which  it  permitted, 
would  have  compromised  their  dignity  by  hard  labour  on  the 
soil,  to  which  every  man  in  the  colony  seemed  destined.  The 
colonists  resolved,  however,  as  they  could  not  *  execute  the 
grand  model,'  *  that  they  w^ould  come  as  nigh  to  it  as  possi- 
ble.' They  accordingly  elected  a  council  and  delegates  ;  and 
jnvested  them  with  legislative  and  executive  powers. 

They  sufi'ered  from  a  scarcity  of  provisions,  at  first ;  but  a 
supply  was  soon  sent  by  the  proprietaries ;  and  with  it  a  plan 
for  a  magnificent  town,  and  a  regulation  by  which  every 
settler  was  allowed  150  acres  of  land.  Several  persons  were 
created  landgraves,  under  the  provision  of  Locke's  constitu- 
tion ;  and,  among  the  rest,  the  lawgiver  himself.  But  this 
race  of  Carolinian  nobles  was  very  short-lived.  The  attempt 
to  establish  a  feudal  nobility  in  this  country  was  universally 
felt  to  be  ridiculous ;  and  it  accordingly  proved  utterly  abortive. 
Bayle  fell  a  victim  to  the  climate  before  his  settlement  was 
well  established.  On  his  death,  Sir  John  Yeamans  claimed 
the  oflSce  of  governor,  as  due  to  the  rank  of  landgrave,  which 


When  was  the  first  effective  settle- 
ment made  in  South  Carolina  ? 
By  whom,  and  where  ? 
What  is  said  of  West  ? 
Of  Locke's  <}onstitution  ^ 
Of  the  cohMuati  } 


From  what  circumstance  did  they 

suffer  ? 
How  were  they  relieved  ? 
What  is  saivi  of  the  order  of  n  obilitf 

instituted  by  Locke  ? 
Of  Sayle?  OfYeamani? 


HOSTILITY  OF  THE  SPANIARDS. 


147 


no  other  person  residing  in  the  province  enjoyed.  The 
council  pteferred  to  give  the  office  to  Joseph  West,  until  the 
pleasure  of  the  proprietaries  should  be  known ;  who,  after 
due  deliberation,  judged  it  expedient  to  entrust  the  government 
to  Yeamans. 

In  1671,  settlers  from  North  Carolina  and  Port  Royal, 
began  to  resort  to  the  neighbourhood  of  Cooper  and  Ashley 
rivers  ;  and  there  they  soon  after  laid  the  foundations  of  Old 
Charleston ;  which  became  for  some  time  the  capital  of  the 
•outhern  country.  The  settlements  had  now  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  Spaniards  at  St.  Augustine,  who  became 
very  desirous  to  break  them  up.  They  sent  emissaries  to 
Charleston,  who  attempted  to  excite  the  inhabitants  to  revolt 
encouraged  indented  servants  to  run  away  from  their  masters 
to  the  Spanish  territory ;  and  instigated  the  Indians  to  extir 
pate  the  colony.  In  these  attempts  the  Spaniards  were  too 
successful;  and  the  repeated  attacks  of  the  Indians,  added  to 
the  severe  labours,  and  occasional  sickness  of  the  colonists 
were  rapidly  spreading  discontent.  An  insurrection  actually 
took  place,  but  was  easily  quelled  by  the  governor. 

While  Yeamans  was  exerting  himself  to  repress  these  dis- 
orders, the  Spaniards,  learning  the  situation  of  affairs  in  the 
coiony,  despatched  a  party  for  the  purpose  of  extirpating  it. 
But  they  had  proceeded  no  farther  than  St.  Helena,  when, 
hearing  that  a  force  was  advancing  to  meet  them,  they  hastily 
retreated.  The  Indians  were,  meantime,  diverted  from  their 
hostile  operations  against  Charleston,  by  a  war  among  them- 
selves, which  nearly  proved  fatal  to  two  of  their  principal 
tribes,  tne  Westoes  and  Seranas. 

In  1673,  the  colony  was  strongly  reinforced  by  the  arrival 
of  settlers  from  the  Dutch  province  of  New  Netherlands, 
which  having  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  English,  many  ol 
the  original  colonists  chose  to  seek  a  new  residence.  They 
founded  a  town  on  the  south-west  side  of  the  Ashley  river,  to 
which  they  gave  the  name  of  Jamestown.  They  were  sub- 
sequently joined  by  large  numbers  of  their  countrymen  from 
Holland  ;  and  eventually  deserting  Jamestown,  were  dispersed 
throughout  the  province. 

Disputes  now  arose  between  the  proprietaries  and  the 


Of  West? 

What  transpired  in  J  671  ? 

How  did  the  Spaniards  display  their 

hostility  ? 
For  what  purpoie  did  they  despatch  a 

partj  firoEB  St  Au^stise  ? 


What  occasioned  their  retreat  ? 
What  diverted  the  Indians  from  m 

attack  on  the  colony  ? 
What  happened  in  1673  ? 
What  became  a  subject  of  dispult  f 


148 


SETTLEMENT  OF  CHARLESTON 


colonisia,  occasioned  by  the  heavy  expenses,  and  deficiem 
returns  of  ihe  colony.  The  proprietaries  attributed  these,  in 
part,  to  the  mismanagement  of  Yeamans,  who  retired  to  Bar- 
badoes,  and  soon  after  died.  His  place  was  supplied  by 
Joseph  West.  (1674.) 

In  1680,  the  proprietaries  caused  the  capital  of  the  province 
to  be  removed  from  Old  Charleston  to  Oyster  Point,  which 
j8  formed  by  the  confluence  of  Cooper  and  Ashley  rivers. 
Here  the  present  city  of  Charleston  was  founded;  and,  by 
the  superior  advantages  of  its  situation,  soon  became  the  chief 
city  of  the  southern  country.  A  war  with  the  Indians,  which 
broke  out  the  same  year,  was  speedily  and  successfully  ter- 
minated by  the  prudent  and  vigorous  measures  of  the  governor. 

West's  administration  terminated  in  1683,  when  he  waa 
succeeded  by  Morton.  The  practice  of  kidnapping  Indians, 
and  selling  them  in  the  West  Indies,  which  had  been  intro- 
duced by  West,  was  the  subject  of  many  disputes  between  the 
proprietaries  and  the  colonists,  during  Morton's  administra- 
tion, whose  opposition  to  it  finally  occasioned  his  retirement* 
Kyrle  was  next  appointed  by  the  proprietaries  ;  but  soon  after 
died ;  and  Quarry,  his  successor,  being  dismissed  for  coun- 
tenancing piracy,  Morton  was  reinstated  in  1685. 

In  1686,  the  Spaniards  from  St.  Augustine  invaded  South 
Carolina,  and  laid  waste  the  settlements  of  Port  Royal.  Pre- 
parations were  made  for  an  attack  on  St.  Augustine,  which 
was  only  prevented  by  the  interference  of  the  proprietaries. 
About  the  same  time  a  large  accession  of  emigrants  arrived, 
consisting  of  Protestant  refugees  who  had  been  driven  from 
France  by  the  revocation  of  the  edict  of  Nantz. 

Morton  was  succeeded  by  James  Colleton,  in  August,  1686. 
His  administration  was  distinguished  by  a  series  of  disputes 
with  the  legislature,  who  desired  a  new  constitution,  which 
the  proprietaries  refused  to  sanction.  When  the  disconten 
of  the  colonists  had  attained  its  greatest  height,  Seth  Sothel 
who  had  been  banished  from  Albemarle,  suddenly  presented 
himsdf  at  Charleston,  and  usurped  the  government,  banishen 
Colleton,  and  fined  and  imprisoned  many  others  of  the  govern- 
ment party.  Bat  his  tyranny  and  rapacity  were  soon  found 
Id  be     intolerable,  that,  on  the  remonstrance  of  the  propria 


Who  retired  and  died  ? 
Who  was  his  successor  ? 
When  was  Charleston  settled  ? 
What  is  said  of  the  Indians  P 
Ok  kidnapping  f 


What  was  done  in  1686  f 

What  is  said  of  Morton's  adminiitra 

tion  ? 

Who  usurped  the  goTemmtnt  f 
How  did  he  behay«  / 


CULTURE  OF  RICE  INTR0DUCE1> 


149 


taiies,  he  was  compelled  to  vacate  his  functions,  and  abandon 
the  province.  He  went  to  North  Carolina,  w^here  he  died 
in  1694. 

Colonel  Philip  Ludwell  was  now  appointed  governor.  He 
was  anxious  to  protect  the  French  refugees  ;  and  endeavoured 
to  have  them  naturalised,  and  admitted  to  equal  rights  with 
the  rest  of  the  colonists.  This  measure  was  resisted  by  the 
bigotry  and  intolerance  of  the  people  ;  and  it  was  not  till  many 
years  afterwards,  that  they  obtained  the  recognition  of  their 
natural  rights. 

Thomas  Smith  succeeded  Ludwell.  It  was  under  his 
administration  that  the  celebrated  fundamental  constitutions 
of  John  Locke  were  finally  abolished,  and  a  system  more 
conformable  to  the  state  of  the  country  and  the  actual  wants 
of  the  people,  was  substituted. 

In  1694,  a  ship  from  Madagascar,  on  her  homeward  pas- 
sage to  Britain,  happening  to  touch  at  Charleston,  the  captain, 
in  acknowledgment  of  the  civilities  of  governor  Smith,  pte- 
sented  him  with  a  bag  of  seed  rice,  which  he  said  he  had  seen 
growing  in  the  eastern  countries,  where  it  was  deemed  excel- 
lent food,  and  yielded  a  prodigious  increase.  The  governor 
divided  it  among  his  friends,  who  agreed  to  make  the  experi- 
ment ;  and  planting  their  parcels  in  different  soils,  found  the 
result  to  exceed  their  most  sanguine  expectations.  From  this 
incident  we  are  to  date  the  first  introduction  of  one  of  the 
chief  staples  of  South  Carolina. 

John  Archdale,  a  Quaker,  was  appointed  governor  in  1695. 
His  jurisdiction  extended  also  to  North  Carolina  ;  and  the 
wisdom  and  prudence  of  his  administration  were  universally 
acknowledged.  It  terminated  in  1696.  John  Blake  was  his 
uccessor.  He  was  instrumental  in  conciliating  the  different 
,eligious  sects,  whose  dissensions  had  been  a  source  of  much 
disturbance.    He  died  in  1700. 

Under  the  rule  of  his  immediate  successors,  Moore  and 
Johnson,  the  colony  was  harassed  by  a  succession  of  Indian 
wars ;  involved  in  a  heavy  debt  by  an  ill-conducted  and  fruit- 
less expedition  against  St.  Augustine ;  and  agitated  by  religious 
disputes  originating  in  a  scries  of  persecuting  laws  against  the 
dissenters  from  the  church  of  England. 


How  was  his  power  tftiminated  ? 
What  wa?  attempte»l  by  governor 

LudweU  } 
What  was  done  during  Smith's  ad- 

miniitratioD  f 


13« 


How  was  the  culture  of  ric*  intro- 
duced into  South  Carolina  > 
What  is  said  of  Archdale  and  hit  adt 

r:iinistration  ? 
Of  Blake's  ? 

Of  Moore'f  ?  um  ^oimtuo't  f 


150 


WAR  OF  THE  Y£MASS£Eft« 


In  1706,  (luring  the  administration  of  governor  Joiinsot 
the  Spaniards  from  St.  Augustine  made  a  descent  upon 
Charleston,  but  were  repulsed  with  a  heavy  loss  in  killed, 
wounded,  and  prisoners. 

Henceforward  the  proprietary  government  was  involved  in 
constant  disputes  with  the  colonists,  excepting  a  short  interval 
during  the  administration  of  Charles  Craven,  until  1729,  when 
the  company  of  proprietaries  was  dissolved,  the  chief  part 
he  chartered  interests  being  sold  to  the  crown. 

The  war  of  the  Yemassees  occurred  in  1715.  It  was  at- 
tended with  every  circumstance  of  savage  treachery  and  bar- 
barity. Ninety  persons  were  massacred  by  the  Indians,  on 
the  first  onset  at  Pocotaligo,  and  the  neighbouring  plantations. 
Port  Royal  escaped  by  a  timely  warning,  most  of  the  inha- 
bitants being  conveyed  to  Charleston  by  a  vessel  which  was 
fortunately  lying  in  the  harbour. 

It  was  soon  found  that  this  was  but  the  opening  of  the 
drama.  All  the  southern  tribes,  from  Cape  Fear  to  Florida 
were  in  arms,  and  seven  thousand  warriors  were  speedily 
arrayed  against  the  Carolinas.  Governor  Craven  mustered 
1,200  men;  marched  into  the  enemy's  country;  defeated 
them  in  a  pitched  battle,  and  drove  them  into  Florida.  Their 
lands  were  taken  by  the  colony,  and  offered  to  purchasers. 
A  body  of  500  Irishmen  was  speedily  settled  on  them,  but 
being  afterwards  displaced  by  the  injustice  of  the  proprietaries, 
the  land  was  again  left  vacant,  and  the  frontier  exposed. 

For  nearly  a  century  after  its  first  settlement,  South  Caro- 
lina, like  North  Carolina,  had  nearly  all  its  population  con- 
fined to  the  neighbourhood  of  the  sea  coast.  But  subsequently 
a  flood  of  inhabitants  poured  into  the  western  woods  of  the 
country,  from  the  more  northern  provinces ;  and  before  the 
revolutionary  war  commenced,  the  population  amounted  to 
248,000. 

When  was  the  proprietary  govern-   Give  the  concluding  remarkg  respect- 

men*  abolished  ?  in^  South  Carolina. 

Give  an  account  the  Yemassee  war.  Under  what  charter  wa#  ^Mrtia  ori- 
What  w  Y  ioM  -r^lfci  tb^In^ian  lands?  J    ,'^ally  included  f 


CXiLETHOfiPE'S  TREATY  WITH  THE  INDIANS. 


151 


CHAPTER  XX. 

COLOKIZATIOiq-  OF  GEOEGIA* 

Georgia  was  the  last  of  the  colonies  settled  before  the 
Declaration  of  Independence.  Its  origin  was  peculiar.  A 
spirit  of  adventure  colonized  Virginia ;  traders  settled  New 
York.  New  England  and  Maryland  were  colonized  mainly 
by  those  who  could  not  practise  their  religion  according  to 
the  dictates  of  their  own  consciences  in  England  without 
incessant  vexation  and  oppression.  Georgia  originated  in 
the  benevolent  mind  of  General  Oglethorpe,  a  British  com- 
mander of  great  public  feeling.  His  main  object  was  to 
afford  a  refuge  and  a  home  in  America  for  impoverished 
debtors,  so  as  to  afford  them  every  means  to  retrieve  their 
ruined  fortunes  and  regain  the  position  and  self-respect 
which  had  been  jeopardized  by  their  financial  embarrass- 
ments. 

A  charter  was  obtained  from  George  11,  incorporating  the 
company  under  the  name  of  '  Trustees  for  settling  and  esta- 
blishing the  colony  of  Georgia.'  Large  sums  of  money  were 
subscribed  for  defraying  the  expenses  of  transportaticm  and 
settlement ;  and,  in  November,  one  hundred  and  sixteen  per- 
sons embarked  at  Gravesend,  under  the  direction  of  General 
James  Oglethorpe,  who  arrived  early  the  next  year  at  Charles- 
ton. He  was  cordially  received  by  the  inhabitants,  who  were 
gratified  with  the  prospect  of  establishing  a  barrier  between 
themselves  and  the  Spaniards  of  Florida. 

Having  explored  the  country  which  he  was  about  to  occupy, 
Oglethorpe  fixed  upon  a  high  bluff  on  the  Savannah  river  as 
a  suitable  situation  for  a  settlement,  and  there  founded  the 
town  of  Savannah.  Having  completed  the  erection  of  a  fort, 
his  next  object  was  to  treat  with  the  Indians  for  a  share  of 
their  possessions.  He  accordingly  summoned  a  congress  at 
Savannah,  composed  of  the  chiefs  of  the  Upper  and  Lower 
Creeks,  and  the  Yamacraw  Indians,  represented  to  them  the 
wealth,  power,  and  intelligence  of  the  English,  and  the  ad- 


When  was  a  settlement  first  made  ? 
Unaer  wnat  circumstances  ? 
Who  was  the  leader  of  the  eolonists  ? 
Where  did  he  first  arrive  f 


!How  was  he  received  ? 
What  town  did  he  found  ? 
Where  f 
With  whom  did  he  hol4  a  MnfereDce  ? 


152 


TOMOCHICHI. 


vantages  which  would  accrue  to  the  natives  from  an  alliance 
with  them,  and  finally  offered  to  purchase  so  much  of  their 
lands  as  might  be  required  for  the  use  of  the  new  colony. 

After  he  had  distributed  presents  among  the  Indians,  hia 
terms  were  accepted  ;  and  Tomochichi,  in  the  name  of  the 
Greek  warriors,  addressed  him  in  a  set  speech.  Among  other 
observations,  he  said,  *  Here  is  a  little  present;'  and  then  gave 
him  a  buffalo's  skin,  painted  on  the  inside  with  the  head  and 
feathers  of  an  eagle,  and  desired  him  to  accept  it,  '  because 
the  eagle  signiried  speed,  and  the  buffalo  strength.  The  Eng- 
lish,' he  proceeded,  'are  as  swift  as  the  bird,  and  as  strong  as 
the  beast ;  since,  like  the  first,  they  fly  from  the  utmost  parts 
of  the  earth,  over  vast  seas,  and,  like  the  second,  nothing  can 
withstand  them.  The  feathers  of  the  eagle  are  soft,  and  sig« 
nify  love ;  the  buffalo's  skin  is  warm,  and  signifies  protection, 
He  hoped,  therefore,  that  they  would  love  and  protect  theii 
little  families.' 

When  this  treaty  was  concluded  with  the  natives,  and  the 
colony  placed  in  a  state  of  defence,  Oglethorpe  returned  to 
England,  taking  with  him  Tomochichi,  his  queen,  and  several 
other  Indians.  On  their  arrival  in  London,  they  were  intro- 
duced to  the  king  and  the  nobility,  and  treated  with  much 
distinction.  Curiosity,  and  a  desire  to  conciliate  the  native 
tribes,  were  sufficient  motives  with  the  English  for  lavishing 
upon  them  an  abundance  of  civilities  and  presents,  and  all 
classes  strove  to  render  their  visit  agreeable.  At  the  end  of 
four  months  they  returned  to  their  country  ;  and  by  their  in- 
fluence with  the  Indian  tribes,  contributed  much  to  the  good 
understanding  which  subsequently  prevailed  between  them 
and  the  colonists. 

During  the  following  year,  five  or  six  hundred  emigrants 
arrived  and  took  up  their  abode  in  the  colony.  But  it  was 
soon  found  that  the  paupers  of  England  were  not  sufficiently 
hardy  and  industrious  to  form  prosperous  establishments  in  a 
new  country.  The  trustees  offered  lands  to  other  emigrants : 
and,  in  consequence  of  this  encouragement,  more  than  four 
hundred  persons  arrived  from  Germany,  Scotland,  and  Swit- 
zerland, in  1735.  The  Highlanders  built  a  fort  and  town  at 
Darien ;  and  the  Germans  formed  an  establishment  on  the 
Savannah,  which  they  called  Ebenezer.   In  1736,  Oglethorpe 


What  was  the  substance  of  Tomochi-      of  the  treaty,  to  secure  the  contlniied 

chi's  harangue  ?  friendship  of  the  Indians  ? 

What  was  dope  after  the  conclusion    What  took  place  in  the  foUowmi 

I     jear  ?    In  1736  f    In  17M  f 


▼HIJ  OF  ^GLETHORPE  TO  THE  HIGHLAKD  COU>XT» 


i 


HOSTILITIES  OF  THE  SPANIARDS. 


153 


arrived  with  two  ships  and  three  hundred  emigrants.  In  the 
same  year  the  celebrated  John  Wesley  came  out  to  Georgia, 
and  commenced  preaching  to  the  colonists  and  Indians.  His 
benevolent  efforts  met  with  much  opposition ;  and  he  was 
soon  compelled  to  return  to  a  more  congenial  sphere  of  use 
fulness  in  England. 

Soon  after  his  return,  another  distinguished  methodist 
preacher,  George  Whitefield,  arrived  in  the  colony,  and  formed 
a  project  for  establishing  an  orphan  house  for  the  education 
of  poor  children.  He  travelled  all  over  the  colonies  and 
England,  preaching  and  soliciting  subscriptions  for  this  pur- 
pose. His  eloquence  was  very  efficient  in  promoting  his  de- 
sign ;  the  orphan  asylum  was  established,  and  still  exists, 
although  in  no  very  flourishing  condition. 

Oglethorpe's  attention  was  now  directed  to  the  defence  of 
the  colony.  He  erected  a  fort  on  the  banks  of  the  Savannah, 
and  another  near  the  mouth  of  the  Altamaha,  where  a  town 
called  Frederica  was  laid  out  and  built.  Ten  miles  nearer  the 
sea,  on  Cumberland  Island,  he  raised  a  battery,  commanding 
the  entrance  to  Jekyl  Sound,  and  protecting  Frederica  from 
ships  of  war. 

The  Spaniards  sent  a  commissioner  from  Havanna,  de- 
manding the  evacuation  of  all  the  territories  south  of  St.  Helena 
Sound,  as  belonging  to  the  King  of  Spain.  Oglethorpe,  having 
vainly  remonstrated  against  this  claim,  broke  up  the  confer- 
ence and  returned  to  England.  Here  he  received  the  ap- 
pointment of  general  and  commander  in  chief  of  all  his 
majesty's  forces  in  South  Carolina  and  Georgia;  and  returned 
with  a  regiment  of  six  hundred  men,  designed  for  the  protec- 
tion of  the  southern  frontier. 

The  Spaniards,  meantime,  had  been  busy  in  attempting  to 
detach  the  Creeks  from  their  alliance  with  the  English ;  but 
Oglethorpe,  on  his  return,  defeated  their  intrigues,  and  formed 
a  new  treaty  of  friendship  with  the  chieftains.  The  Spaniards 
next  employed  a  most  unwarrantable  stratagem  against  the 
English.  Having  corrupted  an  English  soldier,  who  had 
been  in  their  service,  they  employed  him  to  excite  a  mutiny 
in  Oglethorpe's  camp,  and  an  audacious  attempt  was  made  to 
assassirate  the  general.  But  his  life  was  fortunately  preserved, 
and  the  principal  conspirators  were  shot. 


What  is  said  of  Whitefield  ? 

What  measures  of  defence  were  taken 

by  Oglethorpe  f 
What  was  done  by  the  Spaniards  ? 
By  Oglethorpe  ? 


What  force  did  he  bring  from  England^ 
With  whom  did  he  make  a  new  tieatyV 
What  was  attempted  by  the 

niards  ? 
What  was  the  result  ? 


154  INVASION   of"  GfiOftOlA  BY  THE  SPANIARDS. 


By  a  report  of  the  trustees,  made  in  1740,  it  appeared  tha^ 
twenty-five  hundred  emigrants  had  been  sent  out  to  tfie  colony 
and  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  expended  on  its  settlement, 
without  rendering  it  independent  of  charitable  contributions 
for  support. 

An  expedition  was  undertaken,  in  1740,  for  the  reduction 
of  St.  Augustine,  under  the  command  of  Oglethorpe,  with  an 
army  consisting  of  four  hundred  troops,  from  Georgia  and 
South  Carolina,  and  a  large  body  of  auxiliary  Indians.  Two 
of  the  Spanish  forts  were  taken,  and  St.  Augustine  was  for- 
mally besieged.  But  the  Spaniards,  famous  since  the  days  of 
Scipio  for  resisting  sieges,  maintained  their  post ;  and  the 
colonial  army  was  compelled  to  retire. 

In  two  years  afterwards,  this  invasion  was  retaliated  by  a 
formidable  land  and  naval  force,  chiefly  from  Havanna.  The 
army  consisted  of  three  thousand  men  ;  and  their  object  was 
to  drive  Oglethorpe  from  the  frontiers,  break  up  the  Georgia 
settlements,  and  then  march  on  South  Carolina  and  Virginia. 
As  the  South  Carolinians  had  not  yet  sent  him  any  assist- 
ance, the  founder  of  Georgia  was  now  left  to  his  own  resources. 
His  operations  in  this  emergency  are  thus  described  by  Dr. 
Ramsay. 

*  When  the  Spanish  force  proceeded  up  the  Altamaha,  Ogle- 
thorpe was  obliged  to  retreat  to  Frederica.  He  had  but  about 
seven  hundred  men  besides  Indians  ;  yet,  with  a  part  of  these, 
he  approached  within  two  miles  of  the  enemy's  camp,  with 
the  design  of  attacking  them  by  surprise,  when  a  French  sol- 
dier of  his  party  fired  a  musket  and  ran  into  the  Spanish  lines. 
His  situation  vvas  now  very  critical,  for  he  knew  that  the 
deserter  would  make  known  his  weakness.  Returning, 
however,  to  Frederica,  he  had  recourse  to  the  following  ex- 
pedient. He  wrote  a  letter  to  the  deserter,  desiring  him  to 
acquaint  the  Spaniards  with  the  defenceless  state  of  Frederica, 
and  to  urge  them  to  the  attack.  If  he  could  not  efl?ect  this 
object,  Oglethorpe  desired  him  to  use  all  his  art  to  persuade 
them  to  stay  three  days  at  Fort  Simon's  ;  as,  within  th^t 
time,  he  should  have  a  reinforcement  of  two  thousand  land 
forces,  with  six  ships  of  war ;  cautioning  him,  at  the  same 
ume,  not  to  drop  a  hint  of  Admiral  Vernon's  meditated  attack 


What  facts  were  reported  by  the 

trustees  of  Georgia  ? 
Give  an  account  ol  the  siege  of  St. 

Augustine. 
»Vith  what  force  dia  the  Spaniard! 

iuradt  Georpa  ? 


What  was  Oglethorpe's  force 

How  was  his  weakness  made  knowi 

to  the  Spaniards  ? 
Bj  what  stratagem  did  he  deceire  the 

Spanish  commander  ? 


RETIREMENT  OF  OGLETHORPE. 


151 


rpon  5i.  Augustine.  A  Spanish  prisoner  was  entrusted  with 
this  letter,  under  promise  of  delivering  it  to  the  deserter ;  but 
lie  gave  it,  as  was  expected  and  intended,  to  the  commander 
in  chief,  who  instantly  put  the  deserter  in  irons.    In  the  per- 

f)lexity  occasioned  by  this  letter,  while  the  enemy  was  de- 
iberating  what  measures  to  adopt,  three  ships  of  force,  which 
the  governor  of  South  Carolina  had  sent  to  Oglethorpe's  aid, 
appeared  on  the  coast.  The  Spanish  commander  was  now 
convinced,  beyond  all  question,  that  the  letter,  instead  of 
being  a  stratagem,  contained  serious  instructions  to  a  spy; 
and,  in  this  moment  of  consternation,  set  fire  to  the  fort,  and 
embarked  so  precipitately*  as  to  leave  behind  him  a  number 
of  cannon,  with  a  quantity  of  military  stores.  Thus,  by  an 
event  beyond  human  foresight  or  controul,  by  the  correspond- 
ence between  the  suggestions  of  a  military  genius  and  the 
blowing  of  the  winds,  was  the  infant  colony  providentially 
saved  from  destruction,  and  Oglethorpe  gained  the  character 
of  an  able  general.  He  now  returned  to  England,  and  never 
again  revisited  Georgia.  In  1775,  he  was  offered  the  com- 
mand of  the  British  army  in  America.  He  professed  his 
readiness  to  accept  the  appointment,  if  the  ministers  would 
authorise  him  to  assure  the  colonies  that  justice  would  be 
done  them;  but  the  command  was  given  to  Sir  William 
Howe.  He  died  in  August,  1785,  at  the  age  of  97,  being  the 
oldest  general  in  the  service.  Nine  years  before  his  death, 
the  province  of  Georgia,  of  which  he  was  the  father,  was 
raised  to  the  rank  of  a  sovereign,  independent  state,  and  had 
been  for  two  years  acknowledged  as  such  by  the  mother 
country,  under  whose  auspices  it  had  been  planted.' 

The  interesting  character  and  destiny  of  Oglethorpe  has 
induced  us  to  continue  an  extract  from  Dr.  Ramsay's  sketch, 
with  a  trifling  omission,  to  the  end  of  his  life.  We  novv 
return  to  the  course  of  events  in  Georgia,  after  the  Spanish 
invasion. 

The  original  charter  of  Georgia  had  prohibited  the  intro- 
duction of  negroes  and  rum  into  the  colony.  The  fonner  of 
these  restrictions  was  believed  to  have  prevented  the  success- 
ful cultivation  of  their  lands  ;  and  the  latter  cut  oflf  all  com- 
oierce  with  the  West  Indies.  Theii  lands  also  were  held  by 
a  tenure  not  satisfactory  to  the  inhabitants.  The  consequence 
was,  that  in  ten  years  after  their  first  settlement,  the  people 

What  circumstance  favoured  the  de-  What  circumstances  retarded  the  pro- 

ception  ?    What  was  the  result  ?  gross  of  the  colony  ? 

What  were  the  subsequent  events  of  What  was  the  consequence? 
Oglethor}.e  3  life? 


56 


k^RRENDER  OF  THE  CHARTER. 


could,  mia  gi-eat  difficulty,  obtain  a  scanty  subsistence ;  and 
new  emigrants  were  discouraged  from  entering  a  colony 
which  laboured  under  such  apparent  disadvantages.  Tht*  com- 
plaints which  were  made  to  the  trustees  were  utterly  dis- 
r'egarded ;  and  the  colony  was  suffered  to  languish  under  all 
its  discouragements  till  the  year  1752,  when  the  charter  wa* 
surrendered  to  the  king. 

Under  the  royal  care  the  people  were  favoured  with  the 
same  liberties  and  privileges  which  were  enjoyed  by  the 
neighbouring  colonies,  and  from  this  period  Georgia  rapidly 
advanced  in  population  and  wealth. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

COMMENCEMENT  OF  THE  OLD  FRENCH  WAR. 

Hitherto  we  have  regarded  the  British  colonies  of  North 
America  as  distinct  communities,  and  have  accordingly  traced 
their  histories  separately,  from  the  periods  of  settlement  lo  the 
middle  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Although  they  had  thus 
far  acknowledged  a  general  relationship,  and  in  some  instances 
had  formed  political  combinations,  yet  their  remoteness  from 
each  other,  their  several  difficulties  of  early  colonisation,  and 
the  border  wars  which  they  were  compelled  to  wage  with  the 
aborigines  in  their  respective  neighbourhoods,  had  thus  far 
prevented  them  from  ever  becoming  consolidated  and  united 
in  any  common  design. 

It  was  perhaps  fortunate,  that  the  period  had  now  arrived, 
when  their  whole  frontier  was  threatened  by  an  enemy  suf- 
ficiently formidable  to  demonstrate  the  necessity  of  union  and 
concerted  action.  They  w^ere  henceforth  to  be  one  people, 
in  war  and  in  peace,  bound  together  by  common  interests* 
touched  by  common  sympathies,  and  nerved  by  one  spirit. 

The  war  with  France,  commenced  in  1754,  in  which  thai 
nation  vigorously  prosecuted  its  design  of  fortifying  the  terri- 
tory, which  it  claimed  from  Canada  to  Louisiana,  was  one  in 
which  every  colony  had  a  direct  and  lively  interest.    It  ac- 


Whcn  was  the  charter  surrender- 
ed? 

What  followed  ? 

What  ciicum  stance  united  the  British 


colonies  of  North  America,  Ift  « 
common  cause  ? 
When  was  the  old  French  wv  com* 
menced? 


DESIGN   AM>  CLAIMS  OF  FB\NCE. 


157 


jordingly  developed  the  resources  of  the  whole  country,  and- 
taught  the  lesson  which,  in  a  subsequent,  and  more  interesting 
struggle,  was  of  such  vital  importance,  the  lesson,  namely, 
that  union  is  strength. 

At  the  period  when  the  war  commenced,  which  was  fami- 
liarly called,  by  the  revolutionary  veterans,  the  old  French 
war,  the  French,  in  addition  to  their  possessions  in  Canada 
and  Nova  Scotia,  held  a  settlement  in  New  Orleans,  and  a 
number  of  others  in  the  surrounding  region,  to  which  they 
had  given  the  name  of  Louisiana.  As  their  possessions  were 
extended  up  the  Mississippi,  they  conceived  the  grand  design 
of  forming  a  complete  chain  of  fortifications  from  New  Orleans 
to  the  lakes  ;  thus  partially  surrounding  the  English  colonies 
by  a  bow  of  which  they  would  constitute  the  chord. 

This  project  excited  the  most  lively  apprehension  in  the 
English  nation,  and  its  colonies.  Having  granted  charters  to 
the  first  adventurers,  embracing  the  whole  territory  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  the  English  had  advanced  towards  the 
west,  in  the  full  belief  that  their  title  to  the  country,  in  that 
direction,  could  not  be  ^controverted.  The  French  settlements, 
scattered  from  Canada  to  the  gulf  of  Mexico,  of  course  inter- 
fered with  these  pretensions,  and  if  held,  would  not  only  limit 
their  territory,  but  expose  the  English  inhabitants  to  perpetual 
incursions  of  the  rival  nation  and  its  Indian  allies,  on  the 
whole  western  border.  The  claims  of  France  extended  to 
the  Alleghany  mountains;  and  the  whole  fertile  vale  of  the 
Mississippi  became  now  the  subject  of  a  controversy,  which 
could  only  be  decided  by  the  sword. 

The  white  population  of  the  English  colonies,  at  the  com- 
mencement of  this  contest  exceeded  one  million  of  souls,  while 
that  of  the  French  was  estimated  at  only  fifty-two  thousand. 

The  governo.  of  New  France,  a  name  given  to  the  French 
possessions  collectively,  was  by  no  means  deterred  from  his 
purpose  by  this  great  disparity  of  numbers.  While  the 
population  of  his  enemies  was  scattered  over  a  widely  ex 
•ended  territory,  and  under  various  local  governments,  tha 
*f  his  own  dominion  was  all  under  his  own  direction,  and 
occupied  a  comparatively  small  space.  Besides,  his  own 
people  were  military  in  their  spirit  and  habits,  and  his  alli- 
ances with  the  Indians  commanded  a  much  larger  number  of 
those  barbarous,  but  efficient  auxiliaries,  than  could  be  mus- 


How  far  had  the  French  extended      claims  of  France  and  England  con- 

their  settlements  ?  flicted. 
WhzX  design  had  they  formed  ?  What  was  the  population  of  the  En^- 

OMcribe  the  Mi^nnti  in  which  the      lish  settlements  i  Of  the  Frenck 

14 


l58  PROCfEEDINOS  OF  THE  OHIO  COMPANY. 


lered  by  his  opponents.  The  Five  Nations  were  almost  the 
only  Indian  allies  of  the  English,  while  the  French  were 
connected  by  ties  of  interest  and  friendship  with  all  the  in- 
numerable hordes  of  the  north  and  west. 

The  command  of  Lake  Champlain  had  been  already  attained 
by  the  French,  who  had  erected  a  strong  fort  at  Crown  Point 
A  chain  of  fortifications  had  been  extended  up  the  St.  Law- 
rence and  along  the  great  lakes ;  and  this  was  designed  to  be 
continued  down  to  the  Mississippi.  The  execution  of  thij 
design  was  hastened  by  an  act  of  the  English  government. 
The  king  had  granted  to  a  corporation,  called  the  Ohio  com- 
pany, a  tract  of  600,000  acres  of  land,  lying  in  the  disputed 
territory ;  and  this  company  now  proceeded  to  establish  trad- 
ing houses  and  survey  the  country 

The  governor  of  Canada,  considering  this  to  be  an  intru- 
sion on  the  French  dominions,  wrote  to  the  governors  of 
New  York  and  Pennsylvania,  informing  them  of  it,  and 
threatening  to  seize  the  English  traders,  wherever  they 
should  be  found.  This  intimation  being  disregarded,  he 
seized  some  of  the  traders,  and  carried  them  prisoners  to 
Presque  Isle,  on  Lake  Erie,  where  he  was  engaged  in  erect- 
ing a  strong  fort.  He  also  opened  a  communication  from 
Presque  Isle,  down  French  creek  and  the  Alleghany  river, 
to  the  Ohio,  and  kept  it  open  by  detachments  of  troops  and 
oy  entrenchments. 

Dinwiddie,  the  lieutenant  governor  of  Virginia,  regarding 
ihese  proceedings  as  so  many  acts  of  aggression  on  that  colo- 
ny, laid  the  subject  before  the  assembly,  and  despatched 
Major  George  Washington,  (the  same  who  afterwards  be- 
came so  nobly  conspicuous  in  the  annals  of  his  country,) 
with  a  letter  to  the  commandant  of  the  French  forces  on  the 
Ohio,  requiring  him  to  retire  from  the  dominions  of  his  Bri- 
tannic majesty.  To  this  letter  the  French  officer  replied  thai 
he  acted  under  the  orders  of  his  general,  then  in  Canada,  and 
should  hold  himself  responsible  only  to  him. 

This  answer  being  equivalent  to  a  defiance,  the  Virginia 
spirit  was  roused,  and  active  preparations  were  instantly  com- 
menced for  a  campaign.  Early  in  the  spring  of  1754,  Major 
Washington  advanced  with  a  detachment  of  his  regiment  into 
the  disputed  teiritory,  where  he  fell  in  with  and  defeated  a 


What  advantages  had  the  French  ? 
What  waj  done  by  the  Ohio  compa- 
ny ? 

By  the  governor  of  Canada  t 
What  was  hit  next  proceeding  ? 


What  was  done  hy  governor  Dinwid- 
die ? 

By  George  Washington  ? 

By  the  French  oflScer  ? 

What  was  done  in  the  spring  of  MBii 


CONVENTION  AT  ALBANY. 


159 


party  or  hostile  French  and  Indians.  Being  joinet  by  the 
remaini^er  of  his  regiment,  he  pushed  forward  with  the  in- 
tention of  preoccupying  the  post  at  the  confluence  of  the 
Alleghany  and  Monongahela  rivers ;  but  on  his  march  thither, 
he  met  a  superior  force  of  French  and  Indians,  who  attacked 
him  in  a  hastily  built  stockade,  and,  after  a  gallant  resistance, 
compelled  him  to  capitulate.  The  post  towards  which  he 
was  proceeding  had  already  been  occupied  by  the  French, 
who  built  there  a  strong  fort,  which  they  called  Fort  Du 
Quesne. 

Meantime  the  English  government  were  not  backwaid  in 
perceiving  and  preparing  for  the  approach  of  war.  The  Earl 
of  Holderness,  secretary  of  state,  had  written  to  the  governors 
of  the  respective  colonies,  recommending  united  action,  and 
directing  their  attention  to  the  necessity  of  securing  the 
friendship  of  the  Five  Nations  ;  ordering  them  at  the  same 
time  to  repel  force  by  force,  and,  if  possible,  dislodge  the 
French  from  their  posts  on  the  Ohio. 

A  convention  of  delegates  from  the  several  colonies  met  at 
Albany,  to  treat  with  the  Five  Nations.  Governor  Shirley 
of  Massachusetts,  embraced  this  opportunity  of  recommend 
ing  to  the  other  governors  to  instruct  their  commissioners  on 
the  subject  of  union.  The  delegates  from  Massachusetts  and 
Maryland  received  the  necessary  instructions.  The  others 
received  no  direct  authority  for  this  purpose.  The  congress 
of  delegates,  however,  after  endeavouring  to  secure  the  friend 
ship  of  the  Five  Nations  by  large  presents,  directed  a  com- 
mittee to  report  a  plan  of  union.  It  was  accordingly  re- 
ported, and  approved,  on  the  4th  of  July.  It  provided  for  a 
grand  council  of  delegates  from  the  several  legislatures,  and 
a  president  general  to  be  appointed  by  the  king,  and  invested 
with  a  negative  power.  This  council  was  to  enact  gener;0 
laws  for  the  union,  raise  money,  and  provide  for  and  regulatt 
the  system  of  general  defence. 

The  delegates  from  Connecticut  dissented  from  this  plan, 
being  apprehensive  of  the  dangerous  powers  vested  in  the 
president  general.  The  English  government  disapproved  of 
the  plan  on  the  ground  thai  the  union  might  eventually  lead 
to  A  concerted  system  of  resistance  to  the  suprema(;y  of  the 


For  what  place  did  Washington 
march  ? 

What  stopped  him  ? 

Where  was  Fort  Du  Quesne  built  ? 

CVhat  was  done  by  the  British  secre- 
tary of  state  ? 


When  and  for  what  purpose  was  t 

convention  held  ? 
What  was  reported  by  a  coimuittM  ? 
What  were  the  prov-»?ione  of  the 

plan  ? 
Who  Ji^nented  ? 


160 


CONQUEST  OF  NOVA  SCOTIA. 


mother  country.  The  scheme  was,  therefore,  laid  aside 
Subsequent  events  proved  that  both  objecting  parties  under- 
stood full  well  the  tendencv  of  such  a  union  as  the  one  pro- 
posed 

The  ministry  presented  a  plan  of  their  own,  which  was 
still  less  acceptable;  and  it  was  accordingly  determined  to 
carry  on  the  war  with  British  troops,  aided  by  such  rein 
forcements  as  the  colonies  could  raise. 

Early  in  the  year  1755,  General  Braddock  arrived  from 
Europe  with  an  army,  and  convened  the  governors  of  the 
sei^eral  provinces  in  Virginia,  on  the  14th  of  April,  for  the 
purpose  of  adopting  a  plan  for  the  campaign.  It  was  re- 
solved to  carry  on  three  expeditions  ;  one  against  Fort  Du 
Quesne,  to  be  conducted  by  General  Braddock,  at  the  head 
of  the  British  army  and  auxiliary  forces  from  Maryland  and 
Virginia;  a  second  against  Niagara  and  Fort  Frontignac, 
under  the  command  of  Governor  Shirley,  his  own  and  Pep- 
perel's  regiments  constituting  the  principal  force  ;  and  a  third 
asfainst  Crown  Point,  led  by  Colonel  William  Johnson,  and 
composed  of  the  colonial  troops  raised  in  New  England  and 
New  York. 

Meantime,  the  government  of  Massachusetts,  having  al- 
ready projected  an  invasion  of  Nova  Scotia,  sent  out  three 
thousand  men  to  that  province,  under  Colonel  Winslow,  who 
embarked  at  Boston,  in  May  ;  and  in  the  course  of  the  month 
of  June,  with  the  loss  of  only  three  men,  the  English  ac- 
quired complete  possession  of  the  whole  country.  This  con- 
quest was  followed  by  the  confiscation  of  the  lands  and 
moveables  belonging  to  the  French  inhabitants,  and  their  dis- 
persion through  the  English  colonies  ;  a  measure  which  the 
English  considered  necessary,  though  severe  ;  inasmuch  as 
the  war,  which  was  already  commenced,  would  render  ii 
extremely  unsafe  to  permit  their  continuance  in  Nova  Scotia, 
Dr  their  retirement  to  Canada.  No  parole,  nor  even  the 
oath  of  allegiance  to  England,  had  ever  been  found  suffi- 
ciently binding  on  these  people,  to  prevent  their  taking  an 
active  part  against  the  English,  whenever  an  opportunity  was 
afforded 


What  was  tbe  consequence  ? 

What  other  plan  was  rejected  ? 

Who  arrived  in  1755  ? 

Who  formed  a  convention,  and  for 
what  purpose  ? 

What  was  the  plan  of  the  campaign  ? 

Who  WIS  to  command  the  first  expe- 
dition^ and  where  was  it  to  act  ? 


The  second  ? 
The  third  ? 

Meantime  what  achievement  wag 
performed  by  the  Massac huietts 

men  ? 

How  were  the  conquered  people 

treated  ? 
Why? 


braddock's  defeat. 


161 


After  the  convention  of  governors  had  separated,  General 
Braddock  proceeded  to  Fort  Cumberland,  in  the  western 
part  of  Virginia.  After  waiting  here  for  the  residue  of  his 
army  for  some  time,  he  selected  1200  men,  and,  pushing 
forward  towards  Fort  Du  Quesne,  reached  the  Monongahela  on 
the  8th  of  July.  On  the  march,  he  was  repeatedly  warned 
to  guard  against  a  surprise.  Washington  and  the  other  pro- 
vincial officers  advised  him  to  send  forward  the  provincial 
troops,  to  scour  the  woods  and  look  out  for  ambuscades, 
But  Braddock,  confident  in  his  own  skill  and  bravery,  disre- 
garded their  advice,  and  absurdly  persisted  in  marching  for- 
ward, as  if  no  hidden  enemy  were  to  be  apprehended.  His 
van  was  composed  of  British  troops,  totally  unaccustomed  to 
forest  warfare  ;  and  the  main  body,  with  the  artillery,  fol- 
lowed at  some  distance. 

The  French  force  at  Fort  Da  Qaesne  was  very  small,  and 
there  seemed  no  hope  of  maiutaiaing  it  against  the  formi- 
dable English  army  that  was  rapidly  approaching.  But 
the  commander,  Daniel  Lienard  de  Beaujeu,  was  too  high- 
spirited  to  remain  and  surrender.  He  proposed  to  the  In- 
dians around  the  fort  to  join  him  and  go  out  to  attack  the 
English,  They  ridiculed  the  project  as  a  mad  one.  Finding 
them  obstinate,  he  tauntingly  told  them  to  go  to  Canada, 
and  report  that  they  had  seen  him  march  out,  while  they 
stayed  behind  like  squaws.  Then  they  followed  him.  His 
plan  was  to  ambuscade  Braddock,  beyond  the  Monongahela. 
Finding  that  general  already  between  that  river  and  the  fort, 
he  led  an  attack  on  the  van  in  person,  while  his  Indians,  after 
one  volley,  skirted  the  English  flanks. 

When  within  seven  miles  of  Fort  Du  Quesne,  in  an  open 
wood,  thick  set  with  high  grass,  as  the  troops  were  pressing 
boldly  forward,  the  war  whoop  resounded  in  their  ears,  and 
a  destructive  fire  was  poured  in  upon  them  from  thousands 
of  invisible  enemies.  Every  rock,  and  tree,  and  stump  ap- 
peared to  conceal  a  marksman.  The  van  was  thrown  into 
cx)nfusion ;  but  the  main  body  being  ordered  to  come  up,  and 
the  fire  of  the  enemy  being  suspended  in  consequence  of  the 
fall  of  their  commander,  they  were  supposed  to  be  dispersed. 
But  in  a  few  minutes  the  attack  was  renewed  with  increased 
fury ;  the  van  was  driven  back  upon  the  main  body ;  and  the 
whole  army  was  thrown  into  utter  confusion.  The  officers 
on  horseback  were  conspicuous  marks  for  the  Indian  sharp- 

Who    marched   towards  Fort   Du  I  Did  he  regard  the  warning  ? 

Queine  ?  What  was  the  consequence 

Wi*  warned  him  of  danfi^er  /  Describe  the  battle. 

li* 


162  CONSEQUENCES  OF   BRADDOCk's  DEfEAT 

shooters  ;  and  most  of  them  were  brought  down.  I.i  a  short 
time  Washington  was  the  only  aid-de-camp  left  alive,  and 
not  wounded.  He  had  two  horses  shot  under  him,  and  foui 
bullets  passed  through  his  coat ;  but  he  escaped  unhurt.  He 
wa»  reserved,  by  Providence,  to  perform  future  and  more 
important  services.  Throughout  the  whole  of  that  tremen- 
dous scene  he  displayed  the  most  perfect  coolness  and  self- 
possession.  Braddock  was  not  less  undaunted.  Amidst  the 
whistling  of  the  Indian  bullets,  he  endeavouied  to  rally  h'i% 
men,  and  restore  order.  But  being  totally  unacquainted  with 
the  Indian  mode  of  fighting,  he  neither  allowed  his  men 
to  push  into  the  forest  singly  and  attack  the  enemy  in  theii 
own  way,  nor  did  he  order  a  retreat.  He  endeavoured  to 
form  his  broken  troops  on  the  spot  where  they  were  first 
attacked,  and  where  they  still  remained  exposed  to  the  fire 
of  a  sheltered  enemy.  The  battle  lasted  three  hours.  The 
general,  after  having  three  horses  shot  under  him,  received 
a  mortal  wound.  The  British  officers  fought  with  determined 
bravery ;  and  out  of  eighty-five,  lost  sixty-four  of  their  num* 
ber,  killed  and  wounded.  The  common  soldiers  of  the  Bri- 
tish regiments  were  so  unaccustomed  to  this  savage  mode  of 
attack,  that  they  soon  broke  and  could  not  be  rallied ;  but  the 
provincial  troops  stood  their  ground  coolly ;  and,  under  the 
command  of  Colonel  Washington,  covered  the  retreat  of  their 
associates. 

The  Indians,  attracted  by  the  rich  plunder  left  upon  the 
field,  soon  gave  over  the  pursuit.  The  army  retreated  to  the 
camp  of  Colonel  Dunbar,  where  Braddock  died  of  his 
wounds.  The  panic  of  the  defeated  portion  of  the  army  was 
communicated  to  those  troops  which  had  be.en  left  in  reserve ; 
and  the  whole  of  the  British  troops,  after  destroying  the 
chief  part  of  their  stores,  hastily  retreated  to  Philadelphia ; 
leaving  the  entire  western  frontier  of  Pennsylvania,  Mary 
land,  and  Virginia,  exposed  to  the  incursions  of  the  savages. 
The  settlements  on  the  border  were  broken  up,  and  the  in- 
habitants driven  towards  the  sea-board.  Distress  and  dismay 
were  universal.  Such  were  the  eflfects  of  the  presumption 
and  folly  of  one  man.  Had  Braddock  but  listened  to  the 
prudent  counsels  of  Washington,  the  border  would,  probably 
tidve  been  freed  from  the  presence  of  a  savage  enemy  and 
the  inhabitants  might  have  held  their  possessions  in  peace. 


Wliat  was  the  number  of  British  |  Whither  did  the  whole  %rmj  re- 
officers  killed  and  wounded  ?         I  treat? 
Who  saved  the  remoant  of  the  arm;r?  |  What  wafi  the  consequence  f 


ncTORY  OF  COLONEL  JOHNSON. 


163 


The  two  northern  expeditions,  though  less  disastrous  lhait 
this,  were  both  unsuccessful.  The  expedition  of  1,500  men 
commanded  by  General  Shirley,  against  Niagara,  was  de- 
layed so  that  he  was  not  able  to  reach  Oswego  till  late  in 
August ;  while  attempting  to  embark  700  men  on  the  lake, 
!iis  progress  was  arrested  by  a  succession  of  heavy  rains. 
The  troops  were  discouraged  and  the  Indians  dispersed.  The 
season  being  then  too  far  advanced  for  the  success  of  the  en 
terprise,  the  general  retired  to  Albany,  leaving  700  men  in 
Oswego. 

The  third  expedition  of  this  campaign,  that  against  Grown 
Point,  was  to  be  executed  by  colonial  troops  raised  in  New 
England  and  New  York,  under  the  command  of  Colond 
William  Johnson.  This,  was  also  delayed  till  the  last  o( 
August.  Baron  Dieskau,  the  French  commander,  advanced 
to  attack  Johnson,  who  was  on  his  march  to  Crown  Point. 
Colonel  Williams,  with  1,000  men,  w^as  deiached  to  meet 
him,  but  fell  in  the  onset ;  and  his  party  retired.  A  second 
detachment,  ordered  forward  for  his  support,  was  also  driven 
in  upon  the  main  body,  who  awaited  it,  posted  behind  fallen 
trees.  The  French,  who  were  in  close  pursuit  of  the  fugi- 
tives, now  halted.  The  Americans  commenced  an  effective 
fire,  with  musketry  and  two  pieces  of  artillery,  and  soon 
put  the  enemy  to  flight,  in  their  turn.  Dieskau  was  mortally 
wounded,  and  taken  prisoner.  This  victory  re-assured  the 
colonists,  and  removed  the  depression  which  Braddock's  de- 
feat had  occasioned.  Johnson  was  rewarded  with  ^S5,000 
sterling,  and  the  title  of  baronet. 

Thus  ended  the  campaign  of  1755,  leaving  the  colonies 
without  any  important  point  gained,  except  the  recovery  of 
Nova  Scotia ;  while  the  French  and  Indians  maintamed  com- 
plete ascendency  on  the  frontier;  and,  by  their  bloody  incur 
sions,  broke  up  the  border  settlements,  murdering  the  people, 
carrying  them  into  captivity,  or  driving  them  into  the  more 
thickly  settled  regions.  This  disastrous  result  is  to  be  attri- 
buted to  the  want  of  union  and  concerted  action. 

Notwithstanding  these  hostile  operations,  war  had  not  yet 
been  formally  declared  between  France  and  England.  This 
took  place,  however,  in  the  following  spring,  in  consequence 


What  is  said  of  tho  two  other  expe- 
ditions against  the  French  ? 
What  caused  the  failure  of  Shirley's  ? 
Describe  Johnson's  operations. 
What  were  their  effects  ? 


How  was  he  rewarded  ? 
What  was  the  result  of  the  campugn 
of  1755  ? 

Wh^t  ciused  the  declaration  of 
war? 


164 


CAMPAIGNS  OF   1756  AND  1757 


of  the  capture  of  part  of  a  French  scj^adron,  destinea  to 
A.merica,  by  Admiral  Boscawen. 

The  plan  for  the  campaign  of  1750,  was  similar  to  that  of 
1755.  In  a  grand  council  of  war,  held  by  General  Shirley, 
commander  in  chief  of  the  British  forces  in  America,  and  the 
governors  of  Connecticut,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  and 
Maryland,  it  was  resolved  to  attempt  the  reduction  of  Crown 
Point  and  Niagara,  with  the  other  posts  on  Lake  Ontario,  and 
of  Fort  Du  Quesne.  For  this  purpose  it  was  determined  to 
raise  19,000  men  in  America.  Thi?  number  was  so  unusu- 
ally large,  that  much  delay  was  experienced  in  the  raising  of 
recruits.  A  further  source  of  difficulty  was  the  regulation 
requiring  that  provincial  officers  should  be  under  British 
officers  when  they  acted  together. 

While  they  were  adjusting  their  claims  to  rank,  and  delibe- 
rating whether  to  attack  Niagara,  or  Fort  Du  Quesne,  Mont- 
calm, the  successor  of  Dieskau,  an  accomplished  and  brave 
officer,  advanced  at  the  head  of  5,000  French  and  Indians,  and 
invested  Oswego.  The  garrison,  consisting  of  1,600  men^ 
well  supplied  with  provisions,  was  soon  compelled  to  sur- 
render ;  and  the  fortress  was  demolished. 

This  bold  measure  completely  disconcerted  the  originaj 
plan  of  the  campaign,  and  nothing  was  thought  of  now,  but 
security  against  further  losses.  An  invasion  was  expected ; 
and  the  colonies  were  urged  to  send  forward  reinforcements. 
To  add  to  the  distress,  the  small-pox  broke  out  in  Albany 
and  spread  such  alarm  that  it  was  found  necessary  to  garrison 
the  posts  in  that  neighbourhood  with  British  troops,  and  dis- 
charge all  the  provincials,  except  a  regiment  raised  in  New 
York.  Thus,  the  second  campaign  terminated  as  unfortu- 
nately as  the  preceding  one. 

The  campaign  of  1757  was,  nevertheless,  commenced  with 
ffreat  zeal  and  activity.  Lord  Loudon,  the  new  commandei 
in  chief  of  the  British  forces,  applied  lor  4,000  men  from 
New  England,  which  were  promptly  granted.  A  formidable 
fleet  and  army  arrived  from  England ;  and  confident  hopes 
were  now  entertained  of  the  speedy  downfall  of  the  French 
power  in  America.    It  was  determined  to  concentrate  tha 


Wnat  was  the  plan  of  the  campaign 
of  1756  ? 

What  difficulties  existed  ? 

What  was  done  by  Moi  tcalm  ? 

Wnat  was  the  effect  of  this  proceed- 
ing ? 


What  was  the  result  of  this  ran^- 

paign  ? 

What  was  the  plan  of  the  campaigr 
of  1757  ? 


C4PTUft£  OF  Font  WILLI  AM  HENRt 


l66 


whole  disposable  force  upon  one  point — the  fortress  of  Louis- 
bourg,  on  the  island  of  Cape  Breton.  But  intelligence  being 
received  that  an  immense  land  and  naval  force  had  been  sent 
out  to  this  place  from  France ;  and  the  strength  of  ihe  forti- 
fications being  perfectly  well  known  to  the  Americans,  the 
proposed  expedition  was  abandoned,  and  the  British  admiral, 
and  general,  returned  from  New  England  to  New  York. 

The  French  general,  Montcalm,  meantime  determined  to 
gain  complete  possession  of  Lake  George.  Collecting  from 
he  forts  ^t  Crown  Point,  and  Ticonderoga,  and  from  the 
Car-adian  and  Indian  establishments,  an  army  of  9,000  men, 
he  laid  siege  to  Fort  William  Henry,  a  place  of  considerable 
•trength,  with  a  garrison  of  3,000  men,  and  urged  his  attack 
with  so  much  skill  and  resolution,  that  in  six  days  the  com- 
mander. Colonel  Monroe,  was  compelled  to  capitulate.  A 
reinforcement,  sent  to  his  aid,  did  not  arrive  in  season.  Its 
return  to  New  York,  in  August,  closed  the  military  operations 
of  this  season. 


CHAPTER  XXn. 

CONQUEST  OF  CANADA. 

AT  the  close  of  the  campaign  of  1757,  the  affairs  of  Great 
Britain,  and  of  her  colonies  in  America,  wore  a  very  unpro- 
mising aspect.  Three  campaigns,  carried  on  with  immense 
exertion  and  expense,  had  produced  nothing  but  disaster  and 
defeat.  The  lakes,  and  the  whole  western  and  northern 
border,  were  in  possession  of  the  French  and  Indians ;  who, 
with  a  vastly  inferior  force,  had  maintained  their  ground,  and 
even  extended  their  encroachments.  The  French  had  been 
successful  every  where.  The  British  had  every  where  ex 
perienced  reverses.  Not  only  in  America,  but  in  Europe 
and  Asia,  their  arms  had  been  unsuccessful.  It  was  seriously 
apprehended  that  the  French  would  make  good  their  claim  to 
the  whole  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  and  thus  fulfil  their  de- 
sign of  connecting  Canada  with  Louisiana,  and  confiining  the 


What  prevented  its  execution  ?  I  What  was  the  state  of  aflaln  at  tfe 
W^hat  fortress  was  lost  ?  close  of  the  campaign  ol  1767  f 

Describe  the  affair  1 


16H        PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  CAMPAIGN  OF  1758 


British  settlements  to  the  Atlantic  border.  In  the  colonies 
men  looked  forward  with  apprehension  and  dismay. 

But  a  new  era  was  at  hand.  One  of  those  '  choice  ana 
master  spirits,'  that  never  fail  to  leave  their  impress  on  their 
age  and  nation,  had  risen  to  the  direction  of  affairs  in  Britain; 
and  summoned  to  his  aid  the  best  talents  of  the  country. 
William  Pitt,  Earl  of  Chatham,  had  been  placed  at  the  head 
of  the  new  administration  ;  and,  uniting  a  bold  and  masterly 
style  of  eloquence  with  consummate  ability  in  the  manage 
ment  of  state  affairs,  he  possessed  the  full  confidence  of  th 
nation,  and  the  complete  command  of  its  resources.  His 
plans  of  operation  were  grand ;  and  the  means  which  he  em- 
ployed for  their  accomplishment  were  always  adequate  tc 
their  object.  Superior  to  the  prejudices  of  party,  he  sought 
out  and  employed  merit  wherever  it  could  be  found.  His 
means  and  his  talents  were  greater  than  had  been  possessed 
by  any  of  his  predecessors. 

Pitt  was  highly  popular  in  America,  and  the  confidence 
inspired  by  his  energy  and  decision  led  the  colonists  to  make 
every  exertion,  and  every  sacrifice,  which  the  occasion  re- 
quired. A  circular  letter  of  Mr.  Pitt  assured  the  several  go- 
vernors, that,  to  repair  past  losses  and  disappointments,  the 
cabinet  was  determined  to  send  a  formidable  sea  and  land 
lorce  to  America ;  and  he  called  upon  them  to  raise  as  man^ 
men  as  possible,  promising  all  the  munitions  of  war,  and  a 
future  compensation  for  the  expenses  of  the  soldiers'  wages 
and  clothes. 

Massachusetts  agreed  to  furnish  7,000  men  ;  Connecticut 
5,000  ;  New  Hampshire  3,000.  These  troops  were  in  the 
field  in  May.  Meanwhile  the  British  fleets  blocked  up,  in  the 
French  ports,  the  men  and  stores  designed  for  Canada,  or 
captured  them  on  the  sea.  A  powerful  armament  sailed  from 
England.  Twelve  thousand  men,  under  the  command  of 
General  Amherst,  arrived  in  Halifax ;  and,  soon  after.  Genera) 
Abercrombie,  the  commander  in  chief,  found  himself  at  the 
head  of  an  army  of  fifty  thousand  men,  of  whom  twenty 
thousand  were  provincials. 

Three  expeditions  were  proposed ;  one  against  Louisbourg 


Whit  gave  them  a  new  aspect  ? 
What  was  the  character  of  Lord  Cha- 
tham ? 

Paw  was  he  regarded  in  Arjierica 
What  was  promised  in  his  letter  j 
th«  governors  ^ 


What  states  furnished  troops,  ana  in 

what  numbers  ? 
What  was  done  by  the  British  fleet  f 
How  many  men  were  sent  from  fing- 

land  ? 

What  was  the  whole  numb«x 
tercdi' 


CAMPAIGN  OF  1757. 


a  second  against  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point ;  and  a  third 
against  Fort  Du  Quesne.  That  against  Louisbourg  consisted 
of  14,000  men,  20  ships  of  the  line,  and  18  frigates.  Thia 
formidable  armament  arrived  before  Louisbourg  on  the  2d  of 
June ;  and,  in  less  than  eight  weeks,  the  fortress  was  surren- 
dered. 

The  expedition  against  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point  was 
tthsuccessful.  Sixteen  thousand  men  were  ordered  on  this 
iervice.  They  crossed  Lake  George  in  boats  ;  and,  landing 
On  the  western  side,  were  soon  engaged  with  the  enemy. 
Lord  Howe  fell  at  the  first  fire.  General  Abercrombie  pro 
ceeded ;  and,  after  an  action,  took  possession  of  a  post  near 
Ticonderoga.  On  the  8th  of  July,  he  attempted  to  carry  the 
fortress  itself,  by  assault.  But  the  works  were  strong ;  and 
the  commander  was  the  able  and  courageous  Montcalm.  After 
a  contest  of  four  hours,  and  the  loss  of  1,800  men,  the  British 
were  compelled  to  retire. 

Abercrombie  now  detached  Colonel  Bradstreet,  with  3,000 
men,  and  eight  pieces  of  cannon,  who  succeeded  in  capturing 
Fort  Frontignac,  an  unimportant  post  on  the  north  side  of 
Lake  Ontario,  garrisoned  by  110  men.  The  fort  being  de- 
stroyed, Bradstreet  returned  to  the  main  body  ;  and  nothing 
further  was  attempted,  by  this  division  of  the  forces,  during 
the  campaign. 

The  expedition  against  Fort  Du  Quesne  was  undertaken  by 
General  Forbes,  with  8,000  men.  On  arriving  at  the  fort, 
they  found  it  abandoned  by  the  garrison,  who  had  gone  down 
the  Ohio  river  in  boats.  The  place  was  thenceforward  called 
Pittsburg,  in  honour  of  Mr.  Pitt.  The  Indians  came  in  and 
entered  into  treaties,  which  gave  peace  and  security  to  the 
frontiers  of  Virginia,  Maryland,  and  Pennsylvania. 

Two  of  the  three  objects  of  the  campaign  of  1758  had  thus 
been  accomplished.  It  now  remained  to  attempt  the  complete 
conquest  of  Canada.  Accordingly  it  was  agreed,  that  in  the 
next  year  three  powerful  armies  should  enter  Canada  by  dif- 
ferent routes,  and  severally  attack  the  strong  holds  of  the 
enemy.  General  Wolfe,  with  one  division,  was  to  ascend 
the  St.  Lawrence,  and  lay  siege  to  Quebec.  Another  divisioii 
was  to  reduce  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point ;  and  then  de- 


What  three  expeditions  were  pro- 
posed P 
How  did  the  first  succeed  ? 
The  second  ? 

Describe  the  first  operations  of  tms 
tzpedition. 


The  subsequent  operations 

What  was  accomplished  by  the  thud 

expedition  ? 
What  was  the  plan  of  the  next  eai» 

paign  ? 


166 


GfiNEftAL  WOLFE  BEFORE  QtlESEd. 


scend  the  river  and  join  General  Wolfe  before  Quebec.  Th* 
third  division,  under  General  Prideaux,  was  to  reduce  Niagara 
and  INIontreal,  and  then  proceed  to  Quebec,  tht  ultimate  objeci 
of  the  whole  force.  General  Amherst  advanced  to  Ticonde- 
roga  and  Crown  Point,  and  found  those  places  abandoned. 
He  then  made  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  gain  possession  o, 
the  lake  ;  but,  after  capturing  two  vessels,  was  obliged,  by 
etorms  and  the  advanced  season  of  the  year,  to  return  to 
Crown  Point  and  go  into  winter  quarters.  Prideaux  besieged 
Niagara ;  and,  being  killed,  the  command  devolved  on  Sir 
William  Johnson,  who  succeeded  in  reducing  the  place. 
Neither  of  these  armies  was  able  to  effect  a  union  with  Gene 
ral  Wolfe.  Fortunately  he  was  able  to  accomplish  the  grand 
object,  without  their  co-operation 

Embarking  at  Louisbourg,  with  8,000  men,  and  a  formida- 
ble train  of  artillery,  Wolfe  proceeded  up  the  St.  Lawrence, 
and  landed  his  army  on  the  island  of  Orleans,  near  Quebec. 
The  difficulties  which  he  had  to  encounter  were  sufficiently 
great  to  have  deterred  a  less  ardent  commander ;  but  it  was  a 
maxim  of  Wolfe's  that '  a  victorious  army  finds  no  difficulties.' 
He  first  attacked  the  French  entrenchments  at  the  falls  of 
Montmorency ;  but  without  success.  He  then  landed  his 
troops  in  the  night,  and  ascended  a  steep  craggy  cliflf,  to  an 
eminence,  called  the  Heights  of  Abraham,  in  rear  of  the  city 
Montcalm,  the  French  general  in  chief,  now  determined  to 
iCave  his  camp  and  attack  the  English  army. 

Accordingly,  on  the  13th  of  September,  he  drew  out  his 
forces,  and  prepared  for  a  pitched  battle.  The  French  ad- 
vanced to  the  charge  with  their  usual  spirit,  and  the  action 
commenced  with  great  resolution  on  both  sides.  The  Eng- 
lish reserved  their  fire  till  the  French  were  within  forty  yards 
of  them,  and  then  gave  it  with  eflfect.  Wolfe,  advancing  at 
the  head  of  the  British  grenadiers  with  charged  bayonets, 
received  a  mortal  wound.  Monckton,  who  succeeded  in  the 
command,  was  shot  through  the  body  ;  and  the  direction  of 
the  army  devolved  on  General  Townshend.  Montcalm,  too, 
received  a  mortal  wound ;  and  General  Senezurgus,  the  s©» 
cond  in  command,  fell.    The  French  were  driven  from  the 


What  was  done  by  General  Amherst  ? 
By  Prideaux  and  Johnson  ? 
What  was  General  Wolfe's  force  ? 
Where  did  he  land  ? 
Wnere  did  he  meet  with  a  repulse  ? 
How  did  lie  gain  the  Heights  of  Abra^ 
humt 


What  was  done  then  by  Montcalm  ' 
When  and  how  did  the  battle  coii> 

mence  ? 
How  did  it  terminate  ? 
What  general  officers  were  kil]«4  f 


FALL  OF  QUEBEC 


field ;  and  a  reinforcement,  brought  forward  by  Bougainville 
•vas  a'so  compelled  to  retire. 

It  appears  that,  in  this  decisive  action,  the  numbers  on  botk 
tides  were  nearly  equal.  Tiie  English  troops,  however,  were 
ill  veteians,  while  those  of  the  French  commander  were  but 
half  of  lhat  description.  The  French  regulars  were  almost 
all  destroyed ;  while  the  English  loss  was  less  than  600  in 
killed  and  wounded.  They  had  to  mourn,  however,  the  loss 
)f  their  gallant  commander ;  which  was  regarded  as  a  national 
calamity  in  the  mother  country,  as  well  as  in  the  colonies, 
Ke  received  a  ball  in  his  wrist  at  the  commencement  of  the 
action  ;  but  he  wrapped  a  handkerchief  round  his  arm,  and 
continued  to  encourage  his  men.  He  soon  afterwards  received 
a  ball  in  the  body,  but  also  concealed  this  wound,  and  was 
advancing  at  the  head  of  the  grenadiers,  when  a  third  bullet 
pierced  his  breast.  In  a  dying  sta^e,  he  unwillingly  suffered 
himself  to  be  borne  to  the  rear,  evincing  the  greatest 
anxiety  for  the  fate  of  the  day.  Being  informed  that  the 
enemy's  ranks  were  breaking,  he  reclined  his  head,  from 
extreme  faintness,  on  the  arm  of  2n  ofEcer.  He  was  soon 
roused  by  the  cry  '  They  fly,  they  tly.'  *  Who  fly  V  he  ex- 
claimed. *  The  French,'  was  the  reply.  '  Then,'  said  the 
dying  hero,  *I  depart  content,'  and  almost  instantly  expired. 
How  many  tears  have  been  shed  at  this  simple  but  affecting 
recital !  How  often,  by  the  firesides  of  the  colonists,  for 
years  afterwards,  has  the  touching  ballad  m  which  his  gal- 
lantry and  his  mournful  fate  are  sung,  drawrv  forth  the  sym- 
pathies of  the  listening  circle.  Wolfe  was  the  favourite  hero 
of  our  ancestors  ;  and  his  name  was  long  held  in  grateful 
remembrance. 

While  General  Townshend  was  making  preparations  for 
the  siege  of  Quebec,  the  town  capitulated,  on  condition  that 
the  inhabitants  should  be  protected  in  their  religious  and  civil 
rights,  till  a  treaty  of  peace  should  determine  their  future 
condition.  General  Murray  left  a  garrison  of  5,000  men  at 
Quebec,  and  sailed  with  the  fleet  and  the  remainder  of  the 
army,  from  the  St.  Lawrence. 

The  campaign  of  1760,  was  directed  to  the  reduction  of 
Montreal,  and  the  remaining  posts  of  the  French  in  Canada. 
A.  w^ell  concerted  union  of  three  divisions  of  forces,  uude( 
A^mherst,  Johnson,  and  Haviland,  secured  the  capitulation 


WTiat  was  the  toss  on  each  side  ?        |  What  city  now  capitulated  ? 
Oescribe  the  circumstances  of  General  I  What  was  accomplished  m  tbt  imi^ 
Wolfe'f  death.  j    campaicn  ? 


170  RESULTS  OF  THE  CAMPAIGN   OF  1760. 


VIontre?.!,  in  September;  and  all  the  other  fortresses  werf 
soon  after  surrendered  to  the  English.  The  French  powei 
m  Canada  was  thus  entirely  overthrown  ;  and  it  thencefor- 
ward became  a  British  province. 

The  British  arn^s  were  equally  successful  in  other  parts  of 
the  world.  Important  conquests  were  made  in  Europe,  Asia, 
and  Africa.  Spain  having  declared  war  against  England,  io 
1762,  lost  the  important  city  of  Havanna,  while  France  wai 
compelled  to  surrender  Martinique,  Granada,  St.  Lucia,  St, 
Vincent,  and  all  the  Caribbee  islands.  A  general  treaty  of 
peace  gave  Britain  all  her  conquests  in  North  America,  with 
the  river  and  port  of  Mobile,  and  all  the  French  territory  on 
the  eastern  side  of  the  Mississippi,  reserving  only  the  island 
of  New  Orleans.  The  French  possessions,  in  that  quarter, 
were  thenceforward  bounded  by  the  Mississippi,  from  its 
source  to  the  river  Iberville,  and  thence  by  a  line  drawn  along 
the  middle  of  that  river,  and  of  the  lakes  Maurepas  and  Pont- 
chartrain. 

The  Havanna  was  exchanged  with  Spain  for  the  Floridas. 
The  British  empire,  in  North  America,  was  thus  not  only 
extensively  widened,  but  clearly  defined  by  great  natural 
boundaries,  which  bade  fair  to  remove  all  future  causes  of 
controversy  with  other  nations  respecting  their  possessions 
on  the  continent. 

One  hundred  and  sixty  years  had  elapsed  between  the  first 
permanent  British  settlement  in  North  America,  and  the  con- 
quest of  Canada.  During  a  great  part  of  this  period,  Eng- 
and,  France,  and  Spain,  had  been  contending  respecting  the 
boundaries  of  their  several  possessions  on  the  continent ;  and 
the  wars  to  which  these  controversies  gave  rise,  were  of  the 
most  distressing  and  sanguinary  character.  Each  power  was 
willing  to  employ  the  tomahawk  and  scalping  knife  of  the 
savage,  in  its  aggressions  on  the  others  ;  and  all  the  barbari- 
ties of  Indian  warfare  were  thus  brought  home  to  the  fire- 
sides of  the  defenceless  settlers.  Well  might  the  inhabitants 
of  the  country  now  rejoice  that  the  controversy  was  termi- 
nated ;  and  look  forward  with  hope  for  a  period  of  undl0< 
turbed  t;-anquillity. 


lu  what  other  parts  of  the  world 
were  the  British  successful  ? 

What  possessions  were  given  to  the 
Pritish  in  tjie  treaty  ? 


What  remarks  are  made  concemini 
the  late  American  wars  ? 


DISIOSITION  OF  THE  COLONISTS  TOWARDS*  £N01AN1»  171 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE  REVOLUTION. 

The  attachment  of  the  American  colonies  to  the  mother 
niuntry  was  never  stronger  than  at  the  close  of  the  French 
war,  which  terminated  in  the  conquest  of  Canada.  To  the 
natural  ties  of  brotherhood  were  superadded  the  strongest 
feelings  of  mutual  regard,  arising  from  a  participation  in 
common  dangers,  and  a  common  victory.  The  colonists 
were  proud  of  their  descent  from  British  ancestors,  and  their 
connection  ith  one  of  the  most  powerful  nations  of  Europe 
They  were  also  fully  sensible  of  the  value  of  English  liberty 
and  every  colonist  believed  himself  to  be  equally  entitlea 
with  his  brethren,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Atlantic,  to  all 
the  essential  rights  of  a  British  subject. 

The  habits  of  the  early  settlers,  and  many  circumstances 
m  the  history  of  their  descendants,  had  led  them  to  study, 
with  attention  and  lively  interest,  the  principles  of  political 
liberty,  and  to  watch,  with  the  most  jealous  vigilance,  against 
every  encroachm.ent  of  arbitrary  power.  The  degree  of  au- 
thority which  might  be  legally  exercised  over  the  colonies, 
oy  the  parent  state,  had  never  been  very  clearly  defined  The 
doctrine  prevailed  in  England,  that  parliament  had  the  power 
of  bmding  them  in  all  cases  whatever.  In  America  this  had 
been  repeatedly  and  publicly  denied. 

In  New  England,  the  colonial  assemblies  were  supposed 
to  possess  every  legislative  power  not  expressly  surrendered 
This,  however,  had  been  modified  into  an  admission  that  par 
liament  might  regulate  commerce,  but  not  the  internal  affairs 
of  the  colonies.  As  early  as  1692,  the  general  court  of  Mas 
sachusetts  passed  an  act,  denying  the  riglit  of  any  other  legis* 
lature  to  lay  a  tax  on  the  colony ;  and,  not  long  after,  the 
same  denial  was  extended,  by  the  assembly  of  New  York,  to 
all  legislation  over  the  colony.  These  acts  were  disapproved , 
and  expressly  denied  in  England,  in  1696;  and  the  power 
of  parliament  to  regulate  certain  internal  aflfairs  of  the  colo- 
nies, had  been  established  by  usage.    In  the  middle  and 


What  were  the  dispositions  of  the 
American  colonies  towards  the  mo- 
ther country  ? 

What  wag  their  character  at  free- 


What  was  the  political  doctrine  oi 

New  England  ? 
What  had  been  done  by  the  legiila- 

tures  of  Massachusetts  and  N«w 


172  HCHEME  FOR  TAKING  THE  COLONIES. 

souinern  colonies,  while  the  power  of  general  legislation 
was  admitted  to  belong  to  parliament,  that  of  direct  interna 
taxation  was  denied.  Schemes  for  taxing  the  colonies  by 
authority  of  parliament  had  been  formed  in  1739,  and  again 
in  1754,  but,  from  temporary  causes,  they  had  been  abandoned. 

The  expenses  of  the  recent  war  had  rendered  necessary  a 
great  addition  to  the  usual  taxes  of  the  English  aiation.  Ap- 
prehensive of  rendering  themselves  unpopular,  by  pressing 
too  severely  on  the  resources  of  the  people  at  home,  the 
ministry  directed  their  attention  to  the  North  American  colo- 
nies ;  and  determined  to  revive  the  scheme  for  raising  a  re 
▼enae  from  that  source.  Mr.  Grenville,  first  commissioner 
of  the  treasury,  (1763,)  introduced  a  resolution,  which  was 
passed,  without  much  debate,  declaring  that  it  would  be 
proper  to  impose  certain  stamp  duties  on  the  colonies.  The 
actual  imposition  of  them  was  deferred  till  the  next  year. 

At  the  same  time,  other  resplutions  were  passed,  imposing 
new  duties  on  the  trade  of  the  colonies ;  those  on  the  com- 
merce with  the  French  and  Spanish  colonies  amounted  to  a 
prohibition  of  fair  trade,  and  the  regulations  for  collecting 
them  were  calculated  to  prevent  the  smuggling  which  had 
hitherto  been  overlooked,  or  connived  at.  All  th«.  naval 
officers,  on  the  American  station,  were  converted  into  revenue 
officers ;  and  many  seizures  were  made.  The  forfeitures 
were  ordered  to  be  decided  on  by  courts  of  vice-admiralty , 
as  if  the  government  distrusted  the  impartiality  of  the  ordi- 
nary tribunals. 

These  acts  were  received  in  the  colonies  with  a  genera 
feeling  of  indignation.  Treated  hitherto  with  comparative 
kindness  and  indulgence,  the  people  could  not  fail  to  perceive 
that  such  measures  w^ere  harsh  and  coercive.  They  were, 
in  fact,  not  less  impolitic  than  unkind  ;  for  it  could  not  rea 
•onably  be  expected  that  thosse  communities,  who  had  been 
left  to  grow  in  the  free  air  of  independence  in  childhood,  and 
had  acted  as  the  allies  of  the  parent  state  in  youth,  would 
iubmit  to  a  system  of  unbending  restraint,  when  they  had 
attained  to  tne  strength  and  maturity  of  manhood.  Parlia- 
ment should  have  understood,  that  while  the  colonies  were 
becoming  more  and  more  jealous  of  their  rights,  they  were 


ji  the  middle  and  southern  states  ? 

What  made  the  British  ministry  de- 
sirous of  raising  a  revenue  from 
the  colonies  ? 

Utm      the/  determine  to  do  it  ? 


What  resolution  was  passed  in  pa» 

liament  ? 
What  new  duties  were  imposed  ? 
How  were  these  acts  received  in  tbf 

colonies  ? 
Why  were  thef  impolitic  ^ 


THE  STAMP  ACT. 


173 


also  becoir.*ng  sensible  of  their  power.  If  they  Lad  learned 
die  lesson  of  civil  freedom  from  the  Pilgrims,  they  had  also 
learned  the  art  of  war  from  the  French  and  Indians. 

The  resolution  to  lay  a  duty  on  stamps  was  particularly 
odious  in  the  colonies  ,  and  the  right  of  parliament  to  impose 
taxes  on  the  colonies  for  the  express  purpose  of  raising  9 
revenue  was  strongly  and  universally  denied.  Petitions  to 
the  king,  and  memorials  to  parliament,  against  the  measure, 
were  sent  in  from  several  of  the  provincial  assemblies.  The 
agent  of  Massachusetts,  in  England,  was  instructed  to  use  hi? 
utmost  endeavours  to  prevent  the  passage  of  the  stamp  act* 
and  associations  were  entered  into,  in  various  parts  of  the 
country,  to  diminish  the  use  of  British  manufactures. 

These,  and  other  measures  of  the  same  tendency,  did  nol 
prevent  the  ministry  of  Great  Britain  from  persisting  in  theii 
determination;  and,  accordingly,  in  the  spring  of  1765,  the 
famous  stamp  act  was  passed;  not,  however,  without  a 
spirited  opposition  from  the  minority.  The  act  provided, 
that  contracts,  bills,  notes  of  hand,  and  other  legal  documents, 
should  be  written  on  stamped  paper,  which  the  British  govern- 
ment was  to  furnish  at  certain  high  prices,  or  that  these  con- 
tracts, (fee.  should  not  be  valid  in  law.  It  was  a  direct,  and 
a  very  heavy  tax,  on  almost  every  transaction  in  business. 

The  passage  of  this  law  excited  the  most  serious  alarm 
throughout  the  colonies.  It  was  perceived,  at  once,  to  be  the 
commencement  of  a  system  of  extortion,  which  would  leave 
the  people  nothing  which  they  could  securbiy  call  their  own. 
It  therefore  became  necessary  to  resist  its  execution  or  pro- 
cure its  repeal,  or  to  give  up  all  claims  to  civil  liberty. 

Combinations  were  immediately  formed  against  the  execu 
•on  of  the  law ;  and  every  exertion  was  made  by  the  popula*^ 
eaders,  to  impress  on  the  public  mind  the  fatal  c  onsequences 
of  submitting  to  it.  The  assembly  of  Virginia,  on  motion  of 
the  celebrated  Patrick  Henry,  passed  resolutions,  declaring 
the  exclusive  right  of  that  assembly  to  lay  taxes  and  imposi 
tions  on  the  inhabitants  of  that  colony.  Other  colonial 
legislatures  passed  similar  resolutions.  The  house  of  re- 
presentatives of  Massachusetts,  perceiving  the  necessity  of 
combined  action,  recommended  a  congress  of  deputies,  from 
all  the  colonial  assemblies,  to  meet  at  New  York  on  the  first 


Wliat  waj  done  by  the  colonists  to 
prevent  the  passage  of  the  stamp 
act  P 

When  did  it  pasa? 

15 


What  were  its  provisions  ? 
How  was  the  news  recei\  ed  ic  Ame- 
rica ? 

How  was  its  object  defeated  ? 


.74 


FIRST  CONTINENTAL  CONGRESS 


Monday  in  October.  Meantime  the  press  was  not  idle  ;  an() 
the  popular  clamour  was  so  urgent,  that  nearly  all  the  stamn 
officers  were  compelled  to  resign. 

The  first  continental  congress  met  at  the  time  appointed. 
Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island,  Connecticut,  New  York,  New 
Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  the  Three  Lower  Counties  on  the 
Delaware,  and  South  Carolina,  were  represented.  Timothy 
Ruggles,  of  Massachusetts,  was  chosen  president.  Their 
first  measure  was  a  declaration  of  the  rights  and  grievances 
of  the  colonists.  In  this  important  stale  paper,  they  aswserted 
their  title  to  all  the  rights  and  liberties  of  natural  born  sub 
jects  within  the  kingdom  of  Great  Britain  ;  the  chief  of  which 
are,  the  exclusive  power  to  tax  themselves,  and  the  trial  by 
jury  ;  both  of  which  had  been  invaded  by  the  recent  acts  of 
parliament ;  and  the  tendency  of  these  acts  to  subvert  thei 
rights  and  liberties  was  clearly  pointed  out.  They  also  ad 
dressed  a  petition  to  the  king,  and  a  memorial  to  each  house 
of  parliament. 

These  papers  were  temperate  and  respectful,  but  firm ;  ex- 
pressing the  attachment  of  the  colonies  to  the  mother  country, 
but  earnestly  declaring  their  rights.  After  recommending  to 
the  several  colonies  to  appoint  special  agents  for  obtaining  a 
redress  of  grievances,  and  transmitting  a  copy  of  their  pro- 
ceedings to  each  colony,  the  congress  adjourned. 

Meantime  the  people  formed  associations  to  encourage 
domestic  manufactures  and  the  raising  of  sheep,  in  order  to 
disj  ense  with  the  usual  supplies  from  England  ;  and,  to  avoid 
us.ng  stamps,  law  proceedings  were  suspended,  and  arbitra- 
tions resorted  to.  Some  riotous  and  disorderly  proceedings 
took  place,  which  resulted  in  the  destruction  of  property,  and 
much  insult  and  abuse  to  obnoxious  supporters  of  the  British 
government. 

While  these  things  were  passing  in  America,  a  complete 
change  took  place  in  the  ministry  of  Great  Britain.  Mr.  Pitt, 
in  parliament,  openly  condemned  the  stamp  act,  and  recom- 
mended its  immediate  repeal;  asserting  that  parliament  had 
no  right  to  tax  the  colonies.  The  late  ministers  opposed 
thi«  opinion,  and  predicted  a  revolution.  After  a  highly 
spirited  debate,  the  stamp  act  was  repealed ;  but,  at  the  «ame 


When  did  the  first  continental  con- 
gress meet  ? 

Who  was  chosen  president  ? 

What  was  their  first  measure  ? 

^  tia  was  stated  in  the  declaration 
©f  rights  ? 


What  further  was  done  by  the  tcor 

gress  ? 

What  was  acne  by  the  people  ? 
Who  opposed  the  stamp  act  in  parlia 

ment  ? 
Was  it  repealed  ? 


REPKAL  OV  THE  STAMP  ACT. 


17ft 


finie,  a  dijclaratory  act  was  passed,  asserting  the  right  ol 
Great  Britain  lo  bind  the  colonies  in  all  cases  whatever. 

In  A.merica,  the  news  of  the  repeal  of  the  stamp  act  was 
received  with  the  liveliest  expressions  of  joy  and  gratitude. 
Public  thanksgivings  were  offered  in  the  churches.  The 
importation  of  British  goods  was  again  encouraged  ;  and  the 
homespun  dresses  being  given  to  the  poor,  the  people  once 
more  appeared  clad  in  the  products  of  the  mother  country. 
The  declaratory  act,  asserting  the  supremacy  of  parliament, 
being  considered  a  mere  salvo  to  wounded  pride,  was  little 
regarded ;  and  the  colonists  believed  that  the  attempt  to  force 
direct  internal  taxes  would  not  again  be  made. 

A  circular  letter  was  addressed  by  secretary  Conway,  to  the 
governors  of  the  several  colonies,  in  which  he  censured  the 
colonists  in  mild  terms  for  the  late  disturbances,  but  at  the 
same  time  required  compensation  to  be  made  to  those  who 
had  suffered  by  the  riots,  which  had  taken  place  at  Boston 
and  New  York,  in  the  summer  of  1765.  In  June,  1766, 
this  letter  was  laid  before  the  assembly  of  Massachusetts,  by 
governor  Bernard,  accompanied  by  such  remarks,  that  the 
assembly  thought  proper  to  delay  the  act  of  indemnity  till 
December,  and  then  to  accompany  it  with  a  general  pardoo 
to  all  offenders  in  the  recent  disorders.  This  act  was  dis 
allowed  by  the  king  and  council,  on  the  ground,  that  the 
pardoning  power  belonged  exclusively  to  the  crown.  This, 
however,  did  not  prevent  the  act  from  taking  effect.  Go- 
vernor Bernard  was  naturally  haughty,  and  tyrannical,  and 
delighted  to  thwart  the  legislature  in  all  their  proceedings. 
His  conduct  exasperated  the  popular  party,  and  confirmed 
them  in  their  opposition. 

In  New  York,  the  legislature  voluntarily  compensated  the 
sufferers  by  the  riots  ;  but  refused  to  execute  an  act  of  parlia* 
ment,  called  the  mutiny  act,  for  quartering  the  king's  iroops 
upon  them  ;  because  it  appeared  to  involve  the  principle  of 
taxation.  The  same  thing  was  refused  by  the*  legislature  of 
Massachusetts  for  the  same  reason. 

Meantime,  a  change  had  taken  place  in  the  British  cabinet 
William  Pitt  came  into  power  with  a  ministry  composed  of 


How  was  the  newt  received  in  Ame- 
rica ? 

What  was  now  done  by  the  people  ? 
Wliat  was  the  purport  of  the  secre- 
tary's letter  ? 

I 


What  was  done  by  the  legislature  of 

Massachusetts  ? 
By  governor  Bernard  ? 
By  the  legislature  of  New  York  ? 
What  change  took  place  in  the  Bntiat 

cabinet  f 


76  OPPOSITION  To  THE  N£W  TAXfiS. 

difTerer  t  parties,  and  under  their  auspices,  a  new  act  of  pai 
aament  was  passed,  laying  a  tax  on  glass,  paper,  pasteboard^ 
white  and  red  lead,  painter's  colours  and  tea,  imported  into 
the  colonies.  Pitt  was  at  this  time  confined  by  sickness,  id 
the  country. 

The  refusal  of  the  legislatures  of  New  York  and  Massa-^ 
chusetts  to  execute  the  mutiny  act,  being  disapproved  by  ihf* 
ministry  and  parliament,  an  act  was  passed  restraining  the 
legislature  of  New  York  from  passing  any  law  whatever,  until 
they  furnished  the  king's  troops  with  all  that  was  required  by 
the  mutiny  act.  At  the  same  time  commissioners  were  ap- 
pointed for  executing  the  revenue  laws,  in  a  more  speedy 
and  effectual  r:  anner  than  had  hitherto  been  done. 

The  reception  of  these  laws  in  America,  was  any  thing  but 
cordial.  All  minds  were  at  once  employed  in  considering, 
and  all  pens  in  defending  the  rights  which  they  invaded. 
The  legislature  of  New  York  granted  the  required  sup- 
plies ;  but  in  Massachusetts  the  spirit  of  resistance  was  again 
awakened,  and  displayed  itself,  particularly  in  opposition  to 
the  required  grants  of  money  for  the  maintenance  of  crown 
officers.  The  legislature  addressed  a  circular  to  the  other 
colonies,  stating  the  difficulties  to  be  apprehended  from  the 
'ate  acts  of  parliament,  and  calling  upon  them  for  their  co- 
operation in  measures  for  obtaining  redress. 

On  receiving  information  of  this  proceeding,  the  ministry 
were  alarmed  at  the  prospect  it  presented  of  a  new  combina- 
tion among  the  colonies,  and  Lord  Hillsborough,  secretary  of 
state,  wrote  to  the  governor  of  Massachysetts  requiring  it  to 
oe  rescinded.  This  order  the  legislature,  in  June,  1768, 
refused  to  comply  with,  declaring  their  right  to  petition  for 
redress  of  grievances,  and  to  call  on  the  other  colonies  to  unite 
with  them  for  the  same  purpose.  On  the  question  to  rescind, 
James  Otis  of  Boston,  said,  '  When  Lord  Hillsborough  knows 
thai  we  will  not  rescind  our  acts,  let  him  apply  to  parliament 
to  rescind  theirs.  Let  Britain  rescind  their  measures,  or  they 
are  lost  for  ever  '  On  receiving  information  of  the  decision 
of  the  house,  governor  Bernard  dissolved  the  assembly. 

The  other  colonies  were  equally  refractory.     The  as- 


What  new  taxes  were  !aijd  ? 

What  restrictions  on  the  legislatures 

of  Massacnusetts  and  New  Ycrk 

were  paHsed  ? 
flow  weie  thete  laws  received  in 

America  ? 


What  was  done  'n  New  York  ? 
In  Massachusetts  ? 

What  was  done  by  Lord  Hillsborough  ? 
By  the  legislature  of  Massachusvtiv 
Fv  governor  Bernard  ? 


kPPAik  OF  tkB  I^LOOP  LIBERTY 


serablies  of  Maryland,  New  York,  Delaware,  Virginia,  and 
Georgia  expressed  their  sentiments  Tespecting  Lord  Hillsbo- 
rough's letter  in  decided  language. 

In  the  mean  time,  Lord  Chatham  had  retired  from  office, 
and  Lord  North  was  appointed  chancellor  of  the  exchequer 
A.  new  office  was  created — that  of  secretary  of  state  for  the 
colonies,  to  which  Lord  Hillsborough  was  appointed.  Thin 
cin  umstance  shows  the  importance  attached  to  colonial  affairs 
by  the  British  government. 

The  colonists  were  adopting  various  measures  of  their  own 
i)r  procuring  a  redress  of  grievances.  Finding  their  peti 
^ons  and  remonstrances  tn  the  king  and  parliament  disre* 
garded,  they  had  recourse  to  the  old  measure  of  combining 
in  a  determination  not  to  import  British  goods ;  a  measure 
highly  injurious  to  the  interests  of  the  commercial  class  of 
*he  mother  country.  Boston,  as  usual,  took  the  lead ;  and 
«  one  of  those  famous  town  meetings  which  have  given  to 
Fanueil  Hall  the  name  of  the  *  Cradle  of  Liberty,'  it  was 
resolved  to  encourage  domestic  manufactures,  and  to  pur- 
chase no  articles  of  foreign  growth  or  manufacture  but  such 
as  were  absolutely  indispensable.  New  York  and  Philadel- 
phia followed  the  example,  and,  in  a  short  time,  the  mer- 
chants themselves  formed  associations  to  import  nothing  from 
Great  Britain  but  articles  that  necessity  required. 

The  board  of  commissioners  of  customs,  appointed  by  the 
late  act  of  parliament,  entered  upon  the  duties  of  their  office 
at  Boston.  From  the  excitement  existing  at  that  place,  a 
collision  between  them  and  the  people  was  daily  expected 
This  was  soon  brough*  on  by  the  seizure  of  Mr.  Hancock's 
sloop  Liberty,  for  a  violation  of  the  revenue  laws.  John 
Hancock,  though  a  merchant  of  great  wealth,  was  attached  to 
the  popular  cause ;  and  this  circumstance,  together  with  the 
hatred  entertained  for  the  revenue  collectors,  served  to  heig^ht- 
en  their  indignation  on  this  occasion.  Supposing  that  th*^ 
sloop  would  not  be  safe  at  the  wharf  in  their  custody,  the 
custom  house  officers  had  solicited  aid  from  a  ship  of  war 
lying  in  the  harbour,  and  the  sloop  was  cut  from  her  fasten- 
ing and  brought  under  the  guns  of  the  ship.  It  was  to  pre- 
vent this  removal  that  the  mob  had  collected.  Many  of  the 
officers  were  wounded  in  the  scuffle,  and  the  multitude,  beini; 
baffled  in  their  attempts  to  retain  the  sloop  at  the  wharf,  r©- 


Wliat  wai  done  by  the  other  colo- 
nies ? 

WYiai  changes  took  place  in  the  Bri- 
tiil  adnistry? 


What  measures  were  adopted  by  the 

colonists 
What  was  done  in  Boston  ? 
Relate  the  affair  of  the  slooo  Liberty? 


178 


BRITISH  TR00F6  IN  BOSTO^ 


paiied  to  the  houses  of^the  collector  and  other  officers  of  the 
customs,  where  they  committed  acts  of  violence  and  injury 
to  their  property.  This  riotous  disposition  lasting  for  seve- 
ral days,  the  commissioners  of  customs  applied  for  protec- 
tion to  the  governor,  but  not  being  able  to  protect  them,  he 
advised  them  to  remove  from  Boston ;  they  consequently 
retired,  first  on  board  the  Romney  man-of-war,  and  after- 
wards  to  Castle  William. 

The  rioters  were  prosecuted  ;  but  the  prosecutions  could 
not  be  successfully  carried  on,  in  consequence  of  the  public 
excitement.  About  this  time,  some  seamen  were  impressed 
:n  Boston,  by  order  of  the  officers  of  the  Romney.  A  town 
meeting  being  called  in  consequence  of  this  aggression,  a 
petition,  full  of  complaints  of  repeated  outrages,  and  praying 
for  redress,  was  sent  to  the  governor.  The  general  court  of 
Massachusetts  having  been  dissolved  by  governor  Bernard 
who  refused  to  convene  it  again  without  the  king's  command 
a  convention  was  assembled  at  Boston,  composed  of  delegated 
from  the  several  towns  in  the  colony,  to  deliberate  on  consti 
tutional  measures  of  redress.  ^J'hey  disclaimed  legislative 
authority,  but  petitioned  the  governor  to  assemble  the  gene- 
ral court,  professed  their  loyalty,  wrote  to  the  agent  of  the 
province  in  England,  stating  the  character  in  which  they 
met ;  and,  after  recommending  patience  and  order  to  the 
people,  dissolved  the  session. 

The  day  before  the  convention  rose,  two  regiments,  which 
had  been  detached  by  General  Gage,  arrived  under  convoy  at 
Nantasket  road.  Next  day,  the  fleet  was  brought  to  anchoi 
near  Castle  William.  Having  taken  a  station  which  com- 
manded the  town,  the  ships  having  their  broadsides  towards 
it,  the  troops  landed,  to  the  number  of  seven  hundred  men, 
and  marched,  with  loaded  muskets  and  fixed  bayonets,  mar- 
tial music,  and  the  usual  military  parade,  to  the  common. 
In  the  evening,  the  selectmen  of  Boston  were  ordered  to 
quarter  the  two  regiments  in  the  town ;  but  they  absolutely 
refused.  A  temporary  shelter  was  permitted,  however,  to 
one  regiment,  without  its  camp  equipage,  in  Fanueil  Hall 
The  next  day,  the  state  house  waj  opened  for  the  soldiers  by 
order  of  the  governor,  and  two  field  pieces,  with  the  mail 
guard,  were  stationed  just  in  its  front. 

This  was  regarded  by  the  people  as  a  peculiar  outrage 


01  the  town  meeting. 
Of  the  convention. 

How  many  regiments  of  British  troops 
now  arrived  in  Boston  ? 


Descnbe  the  landing. 

Their  reception. 

Where  were  they  quartered  * 


PROCEttblNGS  IN  MA8SACHtJS£tt0.  1T9 

The  very  temple  of  liberty  was  profaned  by  the  piresence  of 
armed  soldiers.  The  council  chamber  having  been  reserved 
the  members  of  that  body  were  compelled  to  pass  guards  of 
soldiery  in  order  to  re^ich  their  place  of  meeting.  The 
common  was  covered  with  tents.  Soldiers  were  constantly 
marching  through  the  streets ;  and  sentinels  challenged  the 
inhabitants  as  they  passed.  The  Sabbath  was  profaned,  and 
the  devotion  of  the  sanctuary  disturbed  by  the  sound  of  mar 
tiai  music.  The  place  had  all  the  appearance  of  a  garrisoned 
town.  The  people  felt  the  insult,  but  were  by  no  means 
intimidated ;  and  when  a  requisition  was  made  for  barracks 
for  the  troops,  the  council  declined  to  furnish  them,  lest,  by 
so  doing,  they  might  seem  to  adopt  a  measure  of  submission 
In  a  few  weeks,  a  fresh  reinforcement  of  troops  arrived 
under  Colonels  Mackay  and  Pomeroy. 

Parliament,  meantime,  resolved  to  persevere  in  the  system 
of  coercion,  and  united  in  an  address  to  the  king,  expressing 
their  satisfaction  at  the  measures  which  he  had  pursued, 
giving  assurance  of  their  support,  and  beseeching  him  to 
direct  the  governor  of  Massachusetts  to  institute  an  inquiry 
into  all  acts  of  treason  committed  in  that  colony  since  1767, 
and  to  send  the  offenders  to  England  for  trial. 

Nothing  could  have  been  done  more  effectually  to  irritate 
the  people  than  this  resolution.  The  general  court  of  Mas- 
sachusetts was  not  in  session  when  it  reached  America ;  but 
ihe  house  of  burgesses  of  Virginia  passed  resolutions,  asserting 
the  exclusive  right  of  taxing  the  colony  and  the  right  of  triai 
oy  jury  in  the  vicinage  ;  and  ordered  their  speaker  to  trans- 
mit copies  of  the  resolutions  to  the  other  colonies.  An  ad- 
dress to  the  king,  of  the  usual  tenor,  was  also  voted.  The 
g^overnor,  on  learning  the  character  of  these  proceedings,  dis- 
solved the  assembly.  This  measure  only  inflamed  ti:e  ^i- 
rit  of  opposition;  the  assembly  was  immediately  conve*.ed 
at  a  private  house,  and  unanimously  resolved  on  agreements 
not  to  import  British  goods,  similar  to  those  which  hai  been 
entered  into  at  the  north. 

The  general  court  of  Massachusetts  was  convened  on  the 
30th  of  May,  1769  ;  and,  after  some  altercation  with  the  go 
vernor  concerning  the  subjects  of  legislation,  it  was  removed 


Why  did  the  people  resent  this  ? 
What  annoyed  them  ? 
V\'hat  was  done  by  parliament  ? 
How  wag  the  news  received  in  Ame- 
rici  ? 

What  was  done  Id  Virginia  ? 


What  did  the  governor  d«  r 

What  was  then  done  by  the  aifem- 

bly  ? 

By  the  general  court  oi  Mass&dia> 
setts  ? 


fiOSttO^  MASgACki. 


to  Cain6ridge  On  the  6th  of  July,  the  governor  made  i 
requisition  ^ir  funds  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  troops  in 
Boston,  which  was  decisively  refused ;  and  resolutions  were 
)assed,  at  the  same  time,  recommending  assemblies  of  the 
j}eople,  in  the  several  towns,  to  petition  for  redress  of  griev- 
ances and  declaration  of  rigfits.  The  governor  then  pro- 
rogued the  general  court,  to  meet  at  Boston  on  the  10th  of 
January. 

On  the  first  of  August,  governor  Bernard  was  recalled, 
leaving  the  administration  of  the  province  in  the  hands  of 
lieutenant  governor  Hutchinson.  The  people,  on  his  de- 
parture, manifested  their  joy  by  ringing  the  bells,  firing  guns, 
covering  their  liberty  tree  with  flags,  and  kindling  a  great 
Donfire  on  Fort  Hill. 

In  1770,  Lord  North  was  appointed  premier.  His  first 
measure  was  partly  conciliatory  :  it  was  a  repeal  of  the  port 
duties ;  but  with  the  exception  of  the  duty  on  tea.  This 
left  the  assertion  of  the  right  of  taxation  in  full  force,  and, 
of  course,  was  wholly  unsatisfactory  to  the  colonists. 

The  presence  of  the  military  in  Boston,  too,  still  served  to 
keep  alive  the  animosity  of  the  people,  who  were  constantly 
brought  in  unpleasant  collision  with  these  unwelcome  and 
uninvited  guests.  On  the  evening  of  the  5th  of  March,  1770 
an  affray  took  place  in  King-street,  now  called  State- street,  in 
which  a  small  detachment  of  soldiers,  under  the  command  of 
Captain  Preston,  after  being  assaulted  with  snow  balls  and 
other  missiles,  and  one  of  them  struck  with  a  club,  fired  upon 
the  populace,  killing  three  men,  mortally  wounding  two,  and 
slightly  wounding  several  others. 

The  drums  were  instantly  heard  beating  to  arms ;  thou- 
sands of  the  people  assembled,  and  seeing  the  dead  bodies  of 
their  fellow  citizens  who  had  fallen  in  the  cause  of  liberty 
they  resolved  on  a  general  attack  upon  the  soldiery.  The 
lieutenant  governor  being  sent  for,  addressed  the  people  from 
the  balcony  of  the  state  house,  and  at  length  prevailed  upon 
them  peaceably  to  disperse.  The  next  day.  Captain  Preston 
and  his  party  of  soldiers  were  committed  to  prison,  to  await 
the  course  of  law  ;  and  the  troops  were  all  withdrawn  from 
the  town  to  Castle  William. 


By  the  governor  ? 

By  the  general  court,  in  consequence 
of  the  governor's  requisition  ? 

Wliat  did  the  governor  then  do  ? 

When  was  the  governor  recalled  ? 

Who  was  left  to  alminister  the  go- 
▼emment  ? 


What  was  done  hy  the  peopie  ? 
Who  was  appointed  premier  in  1T70 
What  was  his  first  act  ? 
Why  was  it  unsatisfactory  f 
What  took  place  on  the  5th  of  Maiek 
1770? 

What  was  dene  next  day  i 


AfFAlR  Of^  THE  UASPEB. 


181 


Those  who  had  fallen  in  this  affair,  were  honoured  whh  a 
public  funeral  of  great  pomp  and  solemnity.  The  shopt 
were  closed ;  the  bells  of  Boston,  and  the  neighbouring 
towns,  were  tolled  ;  and  an  immense  number  of  citizens  fol- 
lowed the  first  martyrs  of  the  opening  revolution  to  their  final 
resting  place. 

Captain  Preston  and  his  soldiers  were  brought  to  trial  some 
time  after.  Six  weeks  were  spent  in  examining  witnesse 
and  hearing  counsel ;  and  John  Adams  and  Josiah  Quincy 
who  were  distinguished  leaders  of  the  popular  party,  exerted 
themselves  with  great  ability  in  defence  of  the  accused.  The 
captain  and  six  of  the  men  were  acquitted ;  and  two  were 
brought  in  guilty  of  manslaughter.  This  result  was  highly 
honourable  to  the  distinguished  counsel  and  to  the  impartial 
tribunal  of  the  colony. 

The  occurrences  of  1771,  were  not  important.  Hutchin 
son,  the  lieutenant  governor  of  Massachusetts,  was  appointed 
governor;  and  used  his  prerogative  of  adjourning  the  general 
court  from  Boston  to  Cambridge  and  Salem,  in  spite  of  the 
remonstrances  of  the  members. 

In  1772,  a  bold  act  of  hostility  was  committed  in  Rhode 
Island,  which  greatly  exasperated  the  British  ministry.  Lieu- 
tenant Doddington,  who  commanded  the  revenue  schooner 
Gaspee,  had  become  very  obnoxious  to  the  people  of  that 
colony,  by  his  extraordinary  zeal  in  the  execution  of  the 
revenue  laws.  On  the  9th  of  June,  the  Providence  packet 
was  sailing  into  the  harbour  of  Newport,  and  Lieutenant 
Doddington  thought  proper  to  require  the  captain  to  lower 
his'  colours.  This  being  refused,  as  degrading,  the  Gaspee 
fired  at  the  packet,  to  bring  her  to :  the  American  captain, 
however,  still  holding  his  course  and  keeping  in  shoal  water, 
contrived  to  run  the  schooner  aground  in  the  chase.  As  the 
tide  was  ebbing,  the  Gaspee  was  set  fast  for  the  night,  during 
which,  a  number  of  fishermen,  aided  by  some  of  the  most 
respectable  inhabitants  of  Providence,  manned  some  boats 
and  boarded  the  Gaspee.  The  lieutenant  was  wounded  in 
the  affray ;  but,  with  every  thing  belonging  to  him,  he  and 
his  crew  were  carefully  conveyed  on  shore.  The  vessel,  with 
her  stores,  was  then  burnt,  and  the  party  returned  home  A 
reward  of  five  hundred  pounds,  offered  by  the  governor,  and 
every  exertion  to  discover  the  perpetrators  of  this  bold  action, 

Describe  the  funeral.  Relate  the  affair  of  the  tchoonti 

What  18  taid  of  the  trial  f  Gaspee. 

<¥kat  was  done  in  1771  ?  Were  the  actors  in  thii  affair  pvaiah^ 

ed? 

1§ 


182 


HtJlcHlKSON^S  LEftERS. 


were  ineffectual.  The  people  were  banded  together  by  » 
principle  of  resistance  to  tyranny  which  neither  threats  not 
promises  could  shake. 

Committees  of  correspondence  were  this  year  organised 
in  the  several  towns  oi  Massachusetts,  for  the  purpose  ol 
securing  concert  of  action,  in  iheir  measures  of  opposition, 
and,  in  1773,  at  the  suggestion  of  the  ^ouse  of  burgesses  of 
Virginia,  standing  committees  were  ?  ^,ointed  by  the  differ- 
ent colonial  assemblies  ;  and  by  this  means  a  confidential 
communication  and  interchange  of  opinions  was  kept  up 
between  the  colonies. 

liOrd  Dartmouth,  who  was  supposed  to  entertain  favourable 
riews  towards  the  colonies,  having  succeeded  l^ord  Hillsbo- 
rough, as  secretary  of  state  for  the  colonies,  the  legislature 
of  Massacnusetts  addressed  a  letter  to  hiin,  expressing 
desire  for  complete  reconciliation.  This,  however,  was  in- 
effectual. IN  either  the  British  cabinet,  nor  the  nation,  was 
disposed  to  recede  from  the  ground  they  had  taken. 

About  this  time  a  discovery  was  made,  which  caused  a 
great  deal  of  excitement  in  New  England.  Doctor  Franklin, 
the  agent  of  Massachusetts  in  England,  obtained  possession 
of  the  letters  which  had  been  addressed  by  Governor  Hutch- 
inson and  Lieutenant  Governor  Oliver,  to  the  department  of 
state,  and  sent  them  to  the  general  court.  They  were  evi- 
dently designed  to  induce  the  ministry  to  persist  in  their 
oppressive  measures.  They  represented  the  patriots  as  a 
mere  faction,  who  were  not  countenanced  by  the  mass  of  the 
people,  and  who  were  emboldened  by  the  weakness  of  the 
means  used  to  restrain  them.  More  vigorous  measures  were 
recommended ;  and,  among  the  rest,  a  plan  for  altering 
the  charters  of  the  colonies,  and  making  the  high  officers 
dependent  solely  on  the  crown  for  their  salaries. 

The  assembly  passed  a  vote  of  censure  on  the  writers  of 
these  letters ;  and  petitioned  the  king  to  remove  them  for  ever 
from  the  government  of  the  colony.  This  petition  was  disap- 
proved; but  Hutchinson  was  soon  after  removed,  and  Gonera. 
Gago.  appointed  to  succeed  him. 

The  effect  of  this  disclosure  of  the  treachery  of  Hutchinson 
and  Oliver,  was  electrifying.    The  passions  of  the  people 


What  wsLS  done  m  Massachusetts  ? 
In  Virginia  ? 

Who  succeeded  Lord  Hillsborough  ? 
What  followed  ? 

What  discovery  waa  made  by  Dr. 
Franklin/ 


What  was  done  by  the  assembly  f 

What  followed  ? 

What  was  the  effect  of  this  diacl» 

sure  ? 

What  is  said  of  the  peopla  i 


DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  TEA  AT  BOSTON.  183 

weie  inflamea  by  il  to  the  nighe»t  pitch ;  and  their  expecta- 
tion of  a  better  understanding  with  the  government,  was 
greatly  diminished  by  the  conviction  that  traitors  dmong  them 
were  engaged  in  misrepresenting  the  state  oi  the  country  and 
their  own  dispositions,  to  the  ministry. 

The  duties  on  other  importations  excepting  tea,  had  been 
removed;  and  an  alteration,  corresponding  to  this  change,  had 
been  made  by  the  colonists  in  their  non-importation  agree 
ments.  Tea,  therefore,  remained  the  only  prohibited  article 
Great  quantities  of  it  had  accumulated  in  the  warehouses  of 
the  East  India  Company  ;  and,  as  none  was  ordered  by  the 
colonial  merchants,  it  was  determined  to  send  it  over  on  con 
signment.  The  company  were  allowed  to  export  it  from 
England  free  of  duty,  so  that,  although  the  offensive  duty  on 
its  importation  into  the  colonies  still  remained,  it  was  offered 
at  lower  prices  than  in  former  times.  Confident  of  finding 
a  market  at  these  reduced  prices,  the  company  sent  large 
cargoes  to  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Charleston,  and  Boston. 
The  inhabitants  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia  sent  the  ships 
back  to  London,  'and  they  sailed  up  the  Thames,  to  proclaim 
to  all  the  nation,  that  New  York  and  Pennsylvania  would  not 
re  enslaved.'  The  people  of  Charleston  unloaded  the  tea, 
And  stored  it  in  cellars,  where  it  perished. 

The  Boston  people  disposed  of  the  article  in  a  more  sum- 
mary way.  Before  the  vessels  arrived  with  it,  a  town  meet- 
ing was  held  to  devise  measures  for  preventing  the  landing 
and  sale  of  the  tea.  The  agreement  not  to  use  it  was  re- 
newed ;  and  a  committee  was  chosen  to  request  the  con- 
signees not  to  unlade  or  sell  it.  They  referred  the  matter  to 
the  merchants  who  were  to  take  charge  of  it ;  but  received 
for  answer,  that  they  could  make  no  promises,  because  they 
had  received  no  orders  on  the  subject.  When  the  tea  arrived 
another  meeting  was  called,  '  to  make  a  united  and  success 
ful  resistance  t(  this  last  and  worst  measure  of  the  adminis- 
tration.' People  came  in  from  the  adjoining  towns  in  such 
numbers,  that  it  was  found  necessary  to  adjourn  the  meeting 
from  Fanueil  Hall,  to  a  large  church.  Here  it  was  voted  to 
use  all  lawful  means  to  prevent  the  landing  of  the  tea  and  to 
procure  its  return  to  England.    After  several  days  spent  in 


What  IS  said  concerning  the  duty  on 
tea  ? 

What  was  done  by  the  East  India 

company  ? 
Wh3t  was  done  with  the  tea  ships  in 

New  York  ami  PhLladelphia  ? 


In  Charleston  ? 

What  was  done  in  Boston  before  tht 

arrival  of  the  tea  ships  ? 
On  their  arrival  ? 

What  was  done  at  the  meeting  of  tht 

people  ? 


184 


BOSTON  PORT  BILL. 


negotiations,  the  consignees  refusing  to  return  it,  and  the 
governor  to  order  a  pass  to  be  given  for  the  vessels  to  sail, 
number  of  men,  disguised  as  Mohawk  Indians,  proceeded  to 
ilie  vessels  lying  at  the  wharf  with  the  tea  on  board,  raiseo 
the  hatches,  took  out  the  chests,  and  after  breaking  them 
open,  quietly  emptied  their  whole  contents  into  the  dock 
The  number  of  men  concerned  in  this  busmess  was  aboul 
fifty  ;  but  for  many  years  afterwards  it  was  not  known  whc 
they  were  This  was  the  most  cool  and  determined  defiance 
of  the  government  which  had  yet  been  hazarded.  The  crisis 
which  it  tended  to  bring  about,  appears  to  have  been  appre- 
hended and  deliberately  met.  Josiah  Quincy,  jr.,  a  leading 
statesman  of  the  time,  warned  the  citizens,  in  town  meeting, 
*  that  the  spirit  then  displayed  and  the  sentiments  then 
avowed  should  be  such  as  they  should  be  ready  to  approve 
and  maintain  at  any  future  day.  For  to  retreat  from  the 
ground  they  should  then  take,  would  bring  disgrace  on  them- 
selves, and  ruin  on  the  country.'  He  by  no  means  over- 
rated the  importance  of  the  position  at  that  time  assumed. 

The  intelligence  of  this  proceeding  excited  a  great  sensation 
in  England.  It  was  communicated  to  parliament,  in  a  mes- 
sage from  the  crown  ;  and  excited  strong  indignation  against 
the  colonies.  Both  houses  expressed  their  approbation  of 
the  king's  measures,  and  promised  their  support  in  maintain- 
ing his  authority.  A  bill  was  brought  in  for  discontinumg 
the  lading  and  shipping  of  goods,  wares,  and  merchandise  at 
Boston,  or  the  harbour  thereof,  and  for  the  removal  of  the 
custom  house,  with  its  dependencies,  to  the  town  of  Salem. 
This  bill  was  to  continue  in  force,  not  only  until  compensation 
should  be  made  to  the  East  India  company  for  the  damage 
sustained,  but  until  the  king  should  declare  himself  satisfied, 
as  to  the  restoration  of  peace  and  good  order  in  Boston.  It 
passed  almost  without  opposition. 

This  was  followed  by  another  bill,  subverting  the  charter 
of  Massachusetts,  and  vesting  in  the  crown  the  appointment 
of  the  councillors,  magistrates,  and  other  officers  of  the  colo* 
ny,  to  hold  office  during  the  king's  pleasure. 

Next  followed  a  bill  for  transporting  persons  accused  of 
sedition,  treason,  <fec.,  to  some  other  colony,  or  to  England 
for  trial.  After  this  came  the  '  Quebec  bill,'  extending  the 
territory  of  Canada  so  as  to  include  Ohio,  Illinois,  Indiana 


What  was  said  by  Quincy  ? 

How  was  the  news  received  in  Eng- 


What  bin  was  passed  in  conie* 

quence  ? 
What  other  biUs  w  are  passed  / 


MEASURES  JF  OPPOSITION. 


xml  Michigan,  and  vesting  the  government  of  that  province  in 
a  legislative  council  appointed  by  the  crown. 

The  measures  of  hostility  towards  Massachusetts  were 
ii.ended  to  break  the  union  of  the  colonies,  and  detach  the 
others  from  her.  But  it  had  a  directly  opposite  effect.  The 
other  colonies  were  unanimously  determined  not  to  desert 
their  champion  in  the  hour  of  peril ;  and  the  union  was  firmly 
cemented  by  the  very  measures  intended  to  effect  its  dissolu 
tion 

When  the  intelligence  of  the  Boston  Port  Bill  reached  tha 
^ace,  a  town  meeting  was  called,  in  which  the  unconquerable 
spirit  of  the  inhabitants  was  clearly  manifested.  They  passed 
resolutions  expressing  their  opinion  of  the  impolicy,  injustice, 
and  inhumanity  of  the  act,  from  which  they  appealed  to  God 
and  to  the  world ;  and  inviting  the  other  colonies  to  join  them 
in  an  agreement  to  stop  all  imports  and  exports  to  and  from 
Great  Britain,  Ireland,  and  the  West  Indies,  until  the  act 
should  be  repealed. 

The  same  spirit  was  manifested  throughout  the  country. 
Addresses  were  sent  to  the  Bostonians  from  every  part  of  the 
country,  expressing  sympathy  in  their  afflictions,  exhorting 
them  to  persevere  in  their  course,  and  assuring  them  thai 
they  .were  regarded  as  suffering  in  the  common  cause.  A  day 
of  fasting,  prayer,  and  humiliation  was  appointed  in  all  the 
colonies,  and  a  general  congress  of  deputies  from  each  was 
proposed.  About  the  same  time,  General  Gage  arrived  in 
Boston  to  assume  the  government  of  the  province. 

The  general  court,  convened  by  the  governor  at  Salem, 
iippointed  delegates  for  the  congress  ;  and  the  other  colonies 
followed  their  example.  The  legislature  of  Massachusetts 
also  passed  resolutions,  recommending  to  the  people  to  re- 
nounce the  consumption  of  tea  and  all  kinds  of  British  goods 
until  the  grievances  of  the  colonies  should  be  redressed.  The 
governor,  learning  how  the  house  was  employed,  sent  his 
secretary  to  dissolve  the  assembly ;  but  he  was  refused  ad* 
mittance,  and  read  the  order  of  dissolution  aloud  on  the  stair 
ease.  Next  day  the  people  of  Salem  sent  an  address  to  the 
jjovernor,  spurning  the  offers  of  advantages  made  to  them  a 
the  expense  of  Boston. 


What  was  the  object  of  the  measures 
of  hostility  against  Massachusetts  ? 
What  was  their  effect  ? 
What  was  done  in  Boston  on  receiv- 
intelligence  of  the  Boston  Port 


16 


What  was  done  in  other  parts  of 

country  ? 


the 


country  r 

Who  assumed  the  government  of 

Massachusetts  ? 
What  was  done  by  the  general  court 
By  the  governor  ? 


186       PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  CONTINENTAL  CONGRESi. 


Rough  drafts  of  the  laws,  subverting  the  charter  of  Massa 
chusetts,  were  now  received  ;  and,  by  way  of  reply,  iht 
sommittee  of  correspondence  in  Boston  framed  an  agreement, 
entitled  'a  solemn  league  and  covenant,'  to  suspend  all  com 
mercial  intercourse  with  Great  Britain,  and  all  consumption 
of  its  products  until  the  oppressive  laws  should  be  repealed* 
and  threatening  to  publish  the  names  of  all  who  refused  to 
conform  to  this  agreement. 

General  Gage  issued  a  proclamation  denouncing  this  act, 
and  threatening  punishment ;  but  his  threats  were  disregarded. 

On  the  4th  of  September,  1774,  the  continental  congress 
assembled  at  Philadelphia.  Peyton  Randolph,  of  Virginia 
was  chosen  president,  and  Charles  Thompson  secretary.  I 
was  then  determined  thai  «ach  colony  should  have  one  vote 
and  that  their  proceedings,  except  such  as  they  might  deter- 
mine to  publish,  should  be  kept  secret. 

Resolutions  were  passed  approving  the  conduct  of  the  peo 
pie  of  Massachusetts  in  resisting  the  encroachments  of  arbir 
trary  power,  *and  trusting  that  the  effect  of  the  united  efforts 
of  North  America  in  their  behalf,  would  carry  such  conviction 
to  the  British  nation  of  the  unwise,  unjust,  and  ruinous  policy 
of  the  present  administration,  as  quickly  to  introduce  better 
men,  and  wiser  measures.'  Contributions  from  all  the  colo- 
nies, for  supplying  the  necessities,  and  relieving  the  distresses 
of  the  Boston  people,  were  also  resolved  on.  Resolutions 
against  the  importation  and  use  of  British  goods,  and  forbid- 
ding exerts  to  Great  Britain,  Ireland,  and  the  West  Indies, 
were  also  passed ;  and,  notwithstanding  their  want  of  legal 
sanction,  they  were  strictly  obeyed  by  the  people. 

A  Declaration  of  Rights  was  also  voted,  stating  the  precise 
ground  taken  by  the  colonies,  in  the  contest ;  and  asserting 
rights  which  had  not  been  mamtained  at  its  commencement. 

The  congress  also  voted  several  addresses :  one  to  th« 
people  of  Great  Britain ;  another  to  the  inhabitants  of  Canada; 
and  a  third  to  the  American  people ;  and  a  petition  to  the 
king.  The  state  papers,  emanating  from  this  congress,  have 
been  pronounced,  by  competent  authority,  to  be  master  pieces 
of  political  wisdom,  dignity,  and  moral  courage.    The  Eari 


What  was  done  when  the  rough  drafts 
of  the  laws,  subverting  the  charter 
of  Massachusetts,  were  received  ? 

What  was  done  hy  the  governor  ? 

Were  his  threats  regarded  ? 

When  did  the  first  continental  con- 
grefs  assemble  ? 

Who  were  the  officen  ? 


What  resolutions  were  passed  ? 
For  what  purpose  were  contributiony 

resolved  on  ? 
What  other  resolutions  were  passed  f 
What  was  stated  in  the  Declaration 

of  Rights  ? 
To  whom  were  addresses  voted  ? 
What  '-J  said  of  these  f  tate  papm  f 


PROCEEDINGS  IN  MASSACHUSETTS. 


187 


i>f  Chatham  compared  them  with  the  celebrated  writings  of 
Greece  and  Rome  of  a  similar  character,  and  gave  them  the 
preference.  They  were  read  and  admired  in  every  part  of 
Europe ;  and  enlisted  the  friends  of  liberty  throughout  the 
civilised  world,  in  the  cause  of  American  liberty. 

In  America  they  were  received  with  more  intense  interest; 
ind  their  immediate  effect  was  to  rouse  every  friend  of  the 
sommon  cause  to  exertion.  The  whole  country  resounded 
wiih  the  din  of  martial  preparation.  Companies  of  volunteers 
were  organised  in  every  city  and  village.  Munitions  of  war 
were  treasured  up  and  concealed  from  the  eyes  of  the  myrmi- 
dons of  government;  contributions  of  money,  ammunition, 
and  provisions  were  cheerfully  made,  and  persons  of  ever^ 
age  and  rank  were  roused  into  the  liveliest  enthusiasm  in  the 
iacred  cause  of  liberty. 

When  General  Gage  attempted  to  introduce  the  new  system 
of  government  in  Massachusetts,  he  found  himself  unable  to 
effect  his  object.  The  new  councillors,  appointed  by  the 
crown,  were  compelled  to  resign  their  offices,  by  threats  of 
popular  violence ;  and  the  judicial  proceedings  were  prevented 
by  the  crowd  of  people  who  filled  the  court-house,  and  de- 
clared their  determination  to  submit  to  none  but  the  ancieni 
laws  and  usages  of  the  country. 

Gage,  upon  this  demonstration  of  popular  feeling,  raised 
fortifications  on  Boston  Neck ;  and,  seizing  the  ammunition 
and  stores,  contained  in  the  provincial  arsenal  and  magazii  les, 
at  Cambridge  and  Charlestown,  conveyed  them  to  Boston. 
The  people  were  with  difficulty  restrained  from  attempting 
their  recovery  by  force ;  and  in  New  Hampshire  and  Rhode 
Island  the  powder,  belonging  to  the  government,  was  seizt  u 
by  the  people. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  parliament  of  Great  Britain  was  ap 
prised  of  the  proceedings  of  the  colonists ;  and  severe  censure 
was  passed  upon  them  in  the  king's  speech  and  the  addresses 
in  answer  to  him.  Lord  Chatham,  then  in  the  decline  of  life, 
after  demonstrating  the  impossibility  of  subjugating  America, 
brought  forward  a  bill  for  composing  all  difficulties  and  dis- 
putes, which  was  promptly  and  decisively  rejected.  A  bill 
was  then  passed  for  restraining  the  trade  and  commerce  of  th« 


How  were  they  received  in  America  ?  I  W"  A  seizures  were  made  in  Rhodi 
What  was  done  by  the  people  ?  island  and  New  Himpshire  ? 

la  what  inanner  was  General  Gage    vVhat  was  done  by  parliament  ? 

opposed  in  Massachusetts  I  By  Lord  Chatham  ? 

Wliat  measures  ^d  he  consequer  jy    What  tUl  was  then  passea  t 

idopt  ?  ^ 


188 


APPROACH   OF  WAR. 


New  England  provinces,  and  prohibiting  them  from  canjing 
on  the  fisheries  on  the  banks  of  Newfoundland.  While  this 
bill  was  pending,  Lord  North  suddenly  broiight  forward  what 
he  considered  a  conciliatory  measure.  It  proposed,  that  par 
liament  should  forbear  to  tax  any  colony,  which  should  tax 
itself  in  such  a  sum  as  would  be  perfectly  satisfactory.  Its 
obvious  design  to  separate  the  colonies  from  each  other,  caused 
it  to  be  receired  by  them  with  universal  scorn  and  derision. 

When  the  bill  restraining  the  trade  of  New  England  had 
passed,  information  was  received,  that  the  middle  and  southern 
colonies  were  supporting  their  northern  friends  in  every  mea- 
sure of  opposition.  In  consequence  of  this  intelligence,  the 
same  restrictions  were  extended,  by  a  second  bill,  to  New 
Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  Virginia,  South  Carolina, 
and  Delaware.  New  York  and  North  Carolina  escaped,  on 
the  ground  of  their  supposed  dissent  from  the  opposition. 

The  reception  of  these  laws  in  America  seems  to  have  con- 
vinced the  people  that  there  was  no  hope  of  redress  by  peace 
ful  or  constitutional  measures.  Their  addresses,  remon- 
strances, and  petitions,  had  been  treated  with  contempt ;  and 
when  they  had  hoped  for  a  considerate  hearing  of  their  de- 
fence, they  had  only  received  a  fresh  accumulation  of  wrongs 
and  insults.  All  now  looked  forward  to  a  fearful  contest. 
The  terrible  calm  that  precedes  a  storm,  settled  darkly  over 
the  continent,  and  thunders  of  vengeance  muttered  in  the  dis- 
tance.   The  crisis  was  at  hand. 


What  bill  was  brought  forward  by 

Lord  North  ? 
How  was  it  received  in  America  ? 
To  what  states  were  the  commercial 

D^ftrictioni  e^ende^  ? 


What  states  escaped,  and  on  what 

ground  ? 

What  was  the  effect  of  the  reception^ 
of  these  laws  in  America  ? 

What  was  the  determinatic:!  of  tl|f 
people  of  New  En^gJawd  ^ 


AFFAIR  AT  LEXmGTON. 


189 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

COMMENCEMENT  OF  THE  KEVOLUTIONAKY  WAR. 

It  seems  to  have  been  the  determination  of  the  people  ot 
New  England,  that  whenever  actual  hostilities  should  com- 
mence, the  roj^al  party  should  be  the  aggressors.  With  their 
habitual  reverence  for  law  and  justice,  they  resolved  to  place 
their  adversaries  in  the  wrong,  and  to  keep  the  right  on  their 
vwn  side.  It  was  equally  their  determination  to  repel  with 
firmness  the  first  hostile  attack  which  should  be  made.  An 
occasion  was  soon  furnished  in  which  these  principles  of 
action  were  put  to  the  test. 

On  the  evening  preceding  the  19th  of  April,  1775,  General 
Gage  detached  Lieutenant  Colonel  Smith  and  Major  Pitcairn 
with  800  grenadiers  and  light  infantry,  to  destroy  some  mili- 
tary stores  which  had  been  collected  at  Concord,  about  18 
miles  from  Boston.  Information  of  this  movement  was  sent 
into  the  country  by  Dr.  Warren,  and  the  whole  surrounding 
region  was  soon  in  arms,  and  marching,  in  small  parties, 
towards  the  scene  of  action. 

When  the  British  troops  reached  Lexington,  about  five 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  a  small  body  of  militia  was  paraded 
in  front  of  the  meeting  house.  Major  Pitcairn,  who  led  the 
van,  rode  up,  calling  out,  *  Disperse,  rebels,  disperse.'  His 
soldiers  rushed  forward,  with  loud  huzzas,  and  commenced  a 
scattering  fire.  This  was  soon  followed  by  a  general  dis- 
charge, which  continued  until  the  militia  retreated.  Eight 
men  were  killed  and  a  considerable  number  wounded.  The 
main  body  now  proceeded  to  Concord  and  destroyed  the 
stores. 

The  subsequent  events  of  the  day  are  thus  described  by 
Mr.  Everett.* 

*  On  arriving  at  Concord,  it  was  the  first  care  of  the  British 
commander  to  cut  off  the  approach  of  the  Americans  from  the 


Pot  what  purpose  were  British  troops  |  What  took  place  at  Lexington  f 
Kent  to  Concord  ?  I 


^  'Ql^t^n  <W*iF(ired  at  the  Anniveriary  of  the  battle  of  Cojqiporfl ' 


190 


FIGHT  AT  CONCORD  BRIDGE. 


neighbouring  towns,  by  destroying  or  occupying  the  bridges 
A  party  was  immediately  sent  to  the  south  bridge,  and  tore 
it  up.  A  force  of  six  companies,  under  Captain  Parsons  and 
Lowrie,  was  sent  to  the  north  bridge.  Three  companies 
under  Captain  Lowrie  were  left  to  guard  it,  and  three  undet 
Captain  Parsons  proceeded  to  Colonel  Barrett's  house,  n 
search  of  provincial  stores.  While  they  were  engaged  on 
that  errand,  the  militia  of  Concord,  joined  by  their  brave 
brethren  from  the  neighbouring  towns,  gathered  on  the  hiU 
opposite  the  north  bridge,  under  the  command  of  Colonel 
Robinson  and  Major  Buttrick.  The  British  companies  at 
the  bridge  were  now  apparently  bewildered  with  the  perils 
of  their  situation,  and  began  to  tear  up  the  planks  of  the 
bridge ;  not  remembering  that  this  would  expose  their  own 
party,  then  at  Colonel  Barrett's,  to  certain  ind  entire  de 
struction. 

*  The  Americans,  on  the  other  hand,  resolved  to  keep  open 
the  communication  with  the  town,  and  perceiving  the  attempt 
which  was  made  to  destroy  the  bridge,  were  immediately  put 
in  motion,  with  orders  not  to  give  the  first  fire.  They  draw 
near  to  the  bridge,  the  Acton  company  in  front,  led  on  by  the 
gallant  Davis.  Three  alarm  guns  were  fired  into  the  water, 
6y  the  British,  without  arresting  the  march  of  our  citizens. 
The  signal  for  a  general  discharge  is  then  made ; — a  British 
soldier  steps  from  the  ranks  and  fires  at  Major  Buttrick. 
The  ball  passed  between  his  arm  and  his  side,  and  slightly 
wounded  Mr.  Luther  Blanchard,  who  stood  near  him.  A 
volley  instantly  followed,  and  Captain  Davis  was  shot  through 
the  heart,  gallantly  marching  at  the  head  of  the  Acton  militia 
against  the  choice  troops  of  the  British  line.  A  private  of 
his  company,  Mr.  Hosmer  of  Acton,  also  fell  at  his  side. 

*  A  general  action  now  ensued,  which  terminated  in  the 
retreat  of  the  British  party,  after  the  loss  of  several  killed 
and  wounded,  toward  the  centre  of  the  town,  followed  by 
the  brave  band,  who  had  driven  them  from  their  post.  The 
advance  party  of  British  at  Colonel  Barrett's,  was  thus  left 
to  its  fate ;  and  nothing  would  have  been  more  easy  than  to 
efifect  its  entire  destruction.  But  the  idea  of  a  declared  wai 
had  yet  scarcely  forced  itself,  with  all  its  consequences,  into 
the  minds  of  our  countrymen  f  and  these  advanced  compar 
nies  were  allowed  to  return  unmolested  to  the  main  band. 


What  took  place  on  the  arrival  of  the  |  What  was  the  result  of  the  genersl 

British  troops  at  Concord  ?  |     action  ? 

Where  did  the  militia  assemble  ?         Who  were  now  Cdflipelled  toi^f 
W}f»i  tpuj^  place  at  the  bxv^e  f  J 


lt£tll£At  OF  THE  BRITISH. 


191 


•  It  Was  now  twelve  hours  since  the  first  alarm  had  been 
given,  the  evening  beforej  of  the  meditated  expedition.  The 
Bwift  watches  of  that  eventful  night  had  scattered  the  tidiags 
far  and  wide  ;  and  widely  as  they  spread,  the  people  rose  in 
their  strength*  The  geriiUs  of  America,  on  this  the  morning 
of  her  emancipation,  had  sounded  her  horn  over  the  plains 
and  upon  the  mountains  ;  and  frhe  indignant  yeomanry  of  the 
land,  armed  with  the  v/e2ipons  which  had  done  service  in 
their  fathers'  hands,  poured  to  the  spot  where  this  new  and 
strange  tragedy  was  acting.  The  old  New  England  drums, 
that  had  beat  at  Louisbourg,  at  Quebec,  at  Martinique,  at 
the  Havanna,  were  now  sounding  on  all  the  roads  to  Concord 
There  were  officers  in  the  British  line  that  knew  the  sound ; 
they  had  heard  it  in  the  deadly  breach,  beneath  the  black, 
deep-throated  ei  gines  of  the  French  and  Spanish  castles. 

'  With  the  British  it  was  a  question  no  longer  of  protracted 
hostility,  nor  even  of  halting  long  enough  to  rest  their  ex* 
hausted  troops,  after  a  weary  night's  march,  and  all  the 
labour,  confusion,  and  distress  of  the  day's  efforts.  Theic 
dead  were  hastily  buried  in  the  public  square  ;  their  wounded 
placed  in  the  vehicles  which  the  town  afforded ;  and  a  fligh 
commenced,  to  which  the  annals  of  British  warfare  will 
hardly  afford  a  parallel. 

'  On  all  the  neighbouring  hills,  were  multitudes  from  the 
surrounding  country,  of  the  unarmed  and  infirm,  of  women 
and  of  children,  who  had  fled  from  the  terrors  and  the  perils 
of  the  plunder  and  conflagration  of  their  homes ;  or  were 
collected,  with  fearful  curiosity,  to  mark  the  progress  of  this 
storm  of  war.  The  panic  fears  of  a  calamitous  flight,  on  the 
part  of  the  British,  transformed  this  inoffensive,  timid  throng 
into  a  threatening  array  of  armed  men ;  and  there  was  too 
much  reason  for  the  misconception.  Every  height  of  giound, 
within  reach  of  the  line  of  march,  was  covered  with  the  in 
dignant  avengers  of  their  slaughtered  brethren.  The  British 
light  companies  were  sent  out  to  great  distances  as  flanking 
parties ;  but  who  was  to  flank  the  flankers  ?  Every  patch 
of  trees,  every  rock,  every  stream  of  water,  every  building, 
every  stme  wall,  was  lined^  (I  use  the  words  of  a  British 
officer  in  the  battle,)  was  lined  with  an  unintermitted  fire. 

'  Before  the  flying  troops  had  reached  Lexington,  their 
rout  was  entire.  An  English  historian  says,  the  British 
soldiers  were  driven  before  the  Americans  like  sheep,  till,  bv 
ft  last  desperate  effort,  the  officers  succeeded  in  forcinp"  theii 


Wkat  heightemtd  their  alarm  ?         |  Describe  the  retreat. 


THK   BKlTlStt  lit:lNfORC£0< 

way  to  the  front,  when  ihey  presented  their  swords  and  bay 
onets  against  the  breasts  of  their  own  men,  and  told  them  if 
iliey  advanced  they  should  die."  Upon  this,  they  began  tc 
form,  under  what  the  same  British  officer  pronounces  *'  s 
very  heavy  fire,"  which  must  soon  have  led  to  the  destmc 
tion  or  capture  of  the  whole  corps. 

'  At  this  critical  moment,  it  pleased  Pro\idence  that  a  rein- 
forcement should  arrive.  Colonel  Smith  had  sent  back  a 
messenger  from  Lexington  to  apprise  General  Gage  of  the 
check  he  had  there  received,  and  of  the  alarm  which  was 
running  through  the  country.  Three  regiments  of  infantry 
and  two  divisions  of  marines,  with  two  fieldpieces,  under 
the  command  of  Brigadier  General  Lord  Percy,  were  accord 
ingly  detached.  They  marched  out  of  Boston,  through  Rox 
bury  and  Cambridge,  and  came  up  with  the  flying  party  in 
the  hour  of  their  extreme  peril.  While  their  fieldpieces  kept 
the  Americans  at  bay,  the  reinforcement  drew  up  in  a  hollow 
square,  into  which,  says  the  British  historian,  they  received 
the  exhausted  fugitives,  **  who  lay  down  on  the  ground,  with 
their  tongues  hanging  from  their  mouths,  like  dogs  after  a 
chase." 

'  A  half  an  hour  was  given  to  rest ;  the  march  was  then 
resumed  ;  and,  under  cover  of  the  fieldpieces,  every  house  in 
Lexington,  and  on  the  road  downwards,  was  plundered  and 
set  on  fire.  Though  the  flames  in  most  cases  were  speedily 
extinguished,  several  houses  were  destroyed.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  attention  of  a  great  part  of  the  Americans  was  thus 
drawn  off*,  and  although  the  British  force  was  now  more  than 
doubled,  their  retreat  still  wore  the  aspect  of  a  flight.  The 
Americans  filled  the  heights  that  overhung  the  road,  and  at 
every  defile  the  struggle  was  sharp  and  bloody.  At  West 
Cambridge  the  gallant  Warren,  never  distant  when  danger 
was  to  be  braved,  appeared  in  the  field,  and  a  musket  ball 
soon  cut  off"  a  lock  of  hair  from  his  temple.  General  Heath 
was  with  him,  nor  does  there  appear,  till  this  moment,  to 
have  been  any  effective  command  among  the  American  forces. 

•  Below  West  Cambridge,  the  militia  from  Dorchester, 
Roxbury,  and  Brookline  came  up.  The  British  fieldpieces 
began  to  lose  their  terror.  A  sharp  skirmish  followed,  and 
many  fell  on  both  sides.     Indignation  and  outraged  liu* 


What  reinforcement  came  out  to  re- 
lieve the  British  ? 
How  did  they  protect  them  ? 
4ow  soon  was  the  retreat  resumed  ? 
Wliat  town  was  %et  on  fire  ? 


What  officers  joined  the  Amencans 
at  West  Cambridge  ? 

What  reinforcements  joined  the  Ame- 
ricans below  West  C  unbriilgc  f 

What  foUowed  ? 


BO0TON  BESIEGED. 


manity  struggled  on  the  one  hand,  veteran  discipline  and 
desperation  on  the  o^her ;  and  the  contest,  in  more  than  one 
instance,  was  man  to  man,  and  bayonet  to  bayonet. 

'  The  British  officers  had  been  compelled  to  descend  from 
their  horses  to  escape  the  certain  destruction  which  attended 
their  exposed  situation.  The  wounded,  to  the  number  of 
two  hundred,  now  presented  the  most  distressing  and  con 
fltantly  increasing  obstruction  to  the  progress  of  the  march 
Near  one  hundred  brave  men  had  fallen  in  this  disastrous 
flight ;  a  considerable  number  had  been  made  prisoneis ;  a 
round  or  two  of  ammunition  only  remained ;  and  it  was  no 
till  late  in  the  evening,  nearly  twenty-four  hours  from  the 
time  when  the  first  detachment  was  put  in  motion,  that  thf 
exhausted  remnant  reached  the  heights  of  Charlestown.  The 
boats  of  the  vessels  of  war  were  immediately  employed  to 
transport  the  wounded  ;  the  remaining  British  troops  in  Bos 
ton  came  over  to  Charlestown  to  protect  their  weary  coun- 
trymen during  the  night ;  and,  before  the  close  of  the  next 
day,  the  royal  army  was  formally  besieged  in  Boston.' 

This,  the  first  battle  of  the  revolution,  was  important,  not 
9nly  on  account  of  its  placing  the  parties  in  an  attitude  of 
open  hostility,  but  also  from  its  moral  influence  on  the  spirit 
and  subsequent  proceedings  of  the  colonists.  It  fully  demon- 
strated the  efficiency  of  the  provincial  troops,  when  acting 
against  regulars,  and  the  fatal  precision  of  their  marksmen. 
It  secured  the  position  which  they  had  been  so  anxious  to 
take  in  the  outset,  as  the  party  aggrieved  and  attacked,  act- 
mg  entirely  on  the  defensive.  They  had  been  careful  not  to 
give  the  first  fire  at  Concord,  even  after  the  afiair  at  Lexing- 
ton, so  anxious  were  the  leaders  to  cover  their  proceedings 
with  the  letter  of  the  law.  The  provincial  congress  even 
took  pains  to  send  letters  and  depositions  to  their  agents  in 
England,  establishing  this  point. 

Having  thus  entrenched  their  position  with  law  and  jus 
dee,  the  congress  prepared  to  defend  it  with  the  whole  avail- 
able force  of  the  country.  They  immediately  passed  reso 
lutions  for  raising  an  army  of  30,000  men  in  New  England 
k  considerable  part  of  these  levies  was  soon  added  to  the 
besieging  army  which  surrounded  Boston  ;  and  General  Gage 
became  seriously  alarmed  for  the  safety  of  his  garrison 

Meantime  a  small  force  was  raised  in  Connecticut,  and 


Bow  did  the  affaii  terminate  ^ 
Why  WMS  this  battle  important  ? 


I What  was  done  by  confiM^ 
What  is  said  of  Ga^  ? 

17 


1114       CAPTURE  OF  TICONDEROOA  AND  CROWN  POINT. 


marched  to  Castleton,  where  they  were  met  by  Coloneli 
Ethan  Allen  and  Benedict  Arnold,  with  in  additional  force; 
and,  under  their  command,  proceeded  towards  the  fortress  of 
Ticonderoga.  They  reached  Lake  Champlain  in  the  night 
of  the  9th  of  May.  With  a  detachment  of  83  men,  Allen 
and  Arnold  crossed  the  lake,  anfl  succeeded  in  surprising  and 
capturing  the  fort  without  firing  a  gun.  Colonel  Warren  waf 
then  sent  off  with  a  small  party,  and  took  possession  of 
Crown  Point,  which  was  garrisoned  oniy  by  a  sergeant  and 
twelve  men.  At  both  these  places  a  considerable  amount  of 
cannon  and  military  stores  were  taken. 

To  gain  possession  of  the  lakes,  it  was  now  necessary  to 
capture  a  sloop  of  war  lying  at  St.  Johns.  This  service  waa 
effected  by  Arnold,  who  manned  a  schooner  found  in  South 
Bay,  surprised  the  sloop,  and  gained  possession  of  her  with 
out  any  difficulty. 

When  intelligence  of  these  important  acquisitions  wa« 
received  in  congress,  that  body  passed  resolutions  which 
were  designed  to  show  that  the  measure  was  one  of  self- 
defence,  inasmuch  as  it  had  been  intended  by  the  British  to 
make  use  of  these  posts  in  an  invasion  of  the  colonies,  by 
regulars  and  Indians,  from  Canada. 

While  these  events  were  passing.  Generals  Howe,  Bur 
goyne,  and  Clinton  arrived  at  Boston  ;  and,  soon  after.  Gene 
ral  Gage  sent  forth  i  proclamation,  declaring  martial  law  to 
be  in  force  ;  and  of  triug  pardon  to  all  who  would  submit  to 
the  king,  excepting  Samuel  Adams  and  John  Hancock. 

In  Virginia,  th  royal  governor.  Lord  Dunmore,  seized 
some  powder  bp  onging  to  the  colony,  and  conveyed  it  on 
board  an  armed  vessel,  lying  in  the  haibour  of  Williamsburg. 
The  irritation  •  aused  by  this  measure  was  so  great,  that  the 
governor  was  ioon  compelled  to  reure  and  take  refuge  on 
board  the  FoA^ey  man-of-war;  and  thus  terminated  for  ever 
the  royal  government  in  that  colony.  A  similar  result  took 
place  in  South  Carolina,  in  consequence  of  the  royal  governor 
bein^  detected  in  tampering  with  the  Indians.  In  North 
CarDlina,  also,  the  governor,  having  made  hostile  prepara- 
tions, was  compelled  to  seek  safety  on  board  a  sloop  of  wai 


Describe  the  taking  of  Ticonderoga 
and  Crown  Point. 

What  was  now  done  by  Arnold  ? 

What  by  congress  on  receiving  intel- 
ligence of  these  captures  ? 

Who  now  arrived  in  Boston  ? 


What  was  prociauned  by  Geienil 
Gage  ? 

What  took  place  in  Virgiob  ? 
In  South  Carolina  ? 
In  North  Carolina  ? 


THK  PBFBjrCB  OF  BBBED'8  HILL  ;  PBBSCOTT  IN  THB  BJBDOUBT. 


WASHlNOtON  COMMANDER  iK  CHltt. 


195 


m  Cape  Fear  river.  The  other  colonies  were  thus  rapidly 
assuming  a  position  not  less  warlike  than  that  of  New  Eng- 
!ind. 

On  the  10th  of  May,  the  continental  congress  assembled  at 
Philadelphia.  Addresses  were  voted  to  the  inhabitants  of 
Great  Britain,  to  the  people  of  Canada,  and  to  the  assembly 
of  Jamaica,  and  a  second  petition  to  the  king.  Congress  nexl 
▼oted  that  20,000  men  should  be  immediately  equipped,  and 
proeceedd  to  organise  the  higher  departments  of  the  army. 
George  Washington,  then  a  delegate  from  Virginia,  was 
unanimously  chosen  commander  in  chief ;  and  accepted  the 
appointment  with  his  characteristic  modesty  and  dignity. 
Bills  of  credit  were  issued  for  three  millions  of  dollars,  to 
defray  the  expenses  of  the  war,  and  the  United  Colonies 
were  pledged  for  their  redemption. 

On  the  9th  of  June,  congress  having  received  a  communi- 
cation from  the  provincial  convention  of  Massachusetts,  com- 
plaining of  the  difficulties  consequent  upon  their  want  of  a 
regular  government,  recommended  to  the  colony  the  organi- 
sation of  a  provisional  government,  to  remain  in  force  until  a 
governor,  of  his  majesty's  appointment,  should  consent  to 
govern  the  colony  according  to  its  charter. 

Intelligence  respecting  the  movements  of  the  British  army 
in  Boston  having  led  to  the  suspicion  that  General  Gage  de- 
signed to  penetrate  into  the  country,  it  was  determined  to 
fortify  Dorchester  Neck  and  Bunker's  Hill.  A  detachment 
of  1,000  men  being  ordered  for  the  latter  service,  under  the 
command  of  Colonel  Prescott,  by  some  mistake  took  posses- 
sion of  Breed's  Hill,  an  eminence  much  nearer  to  Boston  than 
Bunker's,  and  completely  commanding  the  town.  Moving 
silently  to  this  point,  on  the  evening  of  the  16th  of  June,  they 
reached  it  unobserved,  and  proceeded  to  throw  up  an  intreneh- 
ment  of  eight  rods  square,  during  the  night.  At  break  of  day 
their  operations  being  discovered  by  the  commander  of  the 
armed  ship  Lively,  then  lying  in  the  harbour,  a  brisk  cannon- 
ade  from  the  ship  was  commenced.  A  battery  of  six  guns 
was  soon  after  opened  upon  them  from  Copp's  Hil!,  in  Bos- 
ton, directly  opposite  Breed's.  Undaunted  by  the  constant 
shower  of  shot  and  bombs  which  was  poured  upon  them,  the 


When  did  congress  assemble  at  Phi- 
ladelphia ? 

What  addresses  did  they  vote  ? 

What  men  and  money  ? 

Who  was  appo  nted  commander  in 
chief  ? 


What  was  done  in  relation  to  Matf  a« 

chusetts  ? 
What  occasioned  the  'ortifying  oi 

Breed's  Hill  ? 
When  was  it  fortified  ? 
What  took  place  in  the  nH>mnif  f 


196 


B.\TTLE  OF  breed's  HILL. 


provincial  troops  laboured  indefatiga»bly  upon  their  woiki^ 
until  they  had  extended  a  breast-work  from  the  east  side  o 
the  redoubt  to  the  bottom  of  the  hill,  towards  Mystic  river. 

General  Gage,  deeming  it  absolutely  necessary  to  dislodge 
the  Americans  from  this  commanding  eminence,  detached 
Major  General  Howe,  and  Brigadier  General  Pigot,  abou* 
noon,  with  ten  companies  of  grenadiers,  ten  of  light  infantry 
and  a  body  of  artillery,  to  perform  that  service.  They  landed 
at  Moreton's  Point,  l3ut  finding  the  Americans  did  not  desert 
their  intrenchments,  as  they  had  expected,  they  awaited  the 
arrival  of  a  reinforcement  from  Boston.  Meantime  the  pro- 
vincials also  received  a  fresh  accession  of  troops,  under  the 
command  of  Generals  Warren  and  Pomeroy  ;  and  made  a 
further  addition  to  their  defences  by  pulling  up  some  post  ano 
rail  fences,  placing  them  in  parallel  lines,  and  filling  up  the 
intervening  space  with  new  mown  hay. 

The  British  troops,  being  now  reinforced,  marched  to  the 
attack  in  two  lines.  It  was  commenced  by  a  heavy  discharge 
of  fieldpieces  and  howitzers,  the  troops  advancing  slowly,  to 
allow  time  for  the  artillery  to  produce  effect  on  the  works. 
While  they  were  advancing,  orders  were  given  to  set  fire  to 
the  village  of  Charlestown,  which  was  soon  enveloped  in 
flames.  This  added,  in  no  small  degree,  to  the  terror  and 
sublimity  of  the  spectacle,  which  was  contemplated  by  thou- 
sands of  interested  spectators,  assembled  on  the  surrounding 
heights,  and  the  roofs  of  buildings  in  Boston,  awaiting  in 
breathless  expectation  the  issue  of  the  contest. 

The  Americans  permitted  the  enemy  to  approach  within 
less  than  one  hundred  yards  of  their  works,  unmolested  ;  and 
then  poured  in  upon  them  such  a  deadly  fire  of  musketry, 
that  the  British  line  was  broken,  and  driven  towards  the 
landing  place  in  disorder.  The  exertions  of  the  officers,  in 
rallying  the  troops,  were  successful ;  and  they  were  again  led 
on  to  the  charge.  But  another  equally  destructive  fire  of  the 
Americans  proved  as  efl^ectual  as  the  first;  and  the  troops,  a 
second  time,  retreated  in  confusion.  General  Clinton,  now 
arriving  from  Boston,  aided  General  Howe,  and  the  other 
officers,  in  restoring  order,  and  thr  troops  were,  a  third  time 
reluctantly  led  on  to  the  attack.    But  the  powder  of  the 


How  far  were  the  works  extended  ? 
What  force  was  sent  to  dislodge  the 

Americans  ? 
Under  what  generals  ? 
After  landing,  what  did  they  wait  for  ? 
Who  reinforced  the  Americans  ? 
*iaw  did  they  extend  their  works  ? 


Describe  the  advance  of  the  cnesaj. 
What  town  was  burnt  ? 
Who  were  the  spectators  cf  the  bftt^ 
tlep 

Describe  the  first  onset. 
The  second. 
The  third. 


EESULTS  OF  THE  BATTLE. 


197 


Americans  was  now  nearly  exhausted  ;  and  some  of  the  British 
cannon  had  been  brought  into  such  a  position  as  to  rake  the 
inside  of  the  breast-work  from  end  to  end.  The  fire  from  the 
ships,  batteries,  and  field  artillery  was  redoubled ;  and,  by 
thus  attacking  it  on  three  sides  at  once,  the  British  finally 
succeeded  in  carrying  the  redoubt  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 
The  provincials,  however,  made  an  obstinate  resistance,  even 
after  a  retreat  was  ordered  ;  defending  themselves  with  »he 
butt  end  of  their  muskets,  and  disputing  the  ground,  inch  by 
nch. 

When  the  redoubt  on  the  hill  was  lost,  the  breast-work  )n 
the  left,  which  had  been  defended  with  similar  firmness 
against  the  light  infantry,  was  also  necessarily  abandoned. 
The  provincials  now  retreated  over  Charlestown  Neck,  with 
but  trifling  loss,  although  they  were  raked  by  the  guns  of  the 
Glasgow  man  of  war,  and  two  floating  batteries. 

The  British  felt  that  this  was  a  victory  by  no  means  to  be 
boasted  of.  Their  force  was  3,000  men  ;  and  their  killed 
and  wounded  amounted  to  1,054.  The  American  force  was 
but  1,500,  and  they  lost,  in  killed  and  w^nnded,  453.  Their 
chief  regret  was  for  the  loss  of  Genei  ;  V^arren,  an  ardenf 
patriot,  and  highly  popular  oflficer,  who  fell  in  the  engagement 

The  British  kept  possession  of  Breed's  Hill,  and,  after 
w^jds,  seized  and  fortified  Bunker's  ;  which  secured  to  them 
the  peninsula  of  Charlestown  ;  but  the  provincials,  by  fortify 
ing  Prospect  Hill,  held  their  enemies  as  closely  besieged  bp 
before. 

This  was  the  first  great  battle  of  the  war.  At  Lexington 
the  colonists  had  been  unprepared,  but  here  they  were  pre- 
pared to  meet  the  enemy,  and  had  seen  trained  British 
regiments,  proud  of  their  European  achievements,  recoil 
again  and  again  before  the  deadly  fire  of  New  England  farm- 
ers. They  had  seen  these  raw  soldiers  stand  the  terrible 
bayonet  charge  without  being  routed. 

As  fast  as  the  news  could  travel  in  those  days  there  went 
over  the  land  the  report  of  that  day's  fighting.  The  aw^e 
which  many  had  felt  of  regular  troops  vanished,  and  the 
regiments  raised  in  the  different  colonies  were  rapidly  put  in 
motion  for  the  seat  of  war. 

The  courage  of  the  yeomanry  and  the  skill  and  ability 
of  the  American  oflScers  displayed  in  the  battle  of  Breed's 
Hill,  or,  as  we  commonly  call  it,  Bunker's  Hill,  raised 


What  was  the  result  ?  |  What  events  followed  the  battle  ? 

What  were  the  f orc^  and  the  loss  on  What  waB  its  moral  effect  on  tJb^ 
^^cJ>  si^e  ?  I    Americans  ? 

17* 


198 


SIEGE  OF  BOSTQN 


the  spirits  of  the  colonists,  and  made  thein  ready  to  dare  any 
dangers.  They  believed  that  intrepidity,  and  dexterity  in  the 
use  of  fire  arms,  would  supply  their  deficiency  of  discipline. 
But  in  this  they  were  mistaken  ;  and  subsequent  eventi 
convinced  them  of  the  error. 

In  July,  General  Washington  took  command  ot  the  troops 
intrenched  round  Boston,  and  proceeded  to  inspect  and  review 
them.  He  found  the  army,  consisting  of  14,000  men,  ani 
mated  with  great  zeal,  and  prepared  to  follow  him  in  the  mos 
arduous  undertakings  ;  but  he  soon  discovered  that  they  wert 
unacquainted  with  subordination,  and  strangers  to  military 
discipline.  Their  spirit  and  courage  displayed  itself  in  fre- 
quent skirmishes  with  the  British,  which  were  attended, 
however,  with  no  important  result.  The  Massachusetts 
troops  elected  their  own  officers,  and  regarded  them  nearly  as 
equals ,  and  the  congressional  and  colonial  authorities  inter- 
fered with  each  other.  The  supply  of  arms  and  ammunition 
was  scanty,  the  troops  being  without  bayonets,  and  having 
but  nine  rounds  apiece  of  cartridges. 

These  difficulties  were  in  a  great  measure  overcome  by  the 
superior  talents  and  perseverance  of  Washington.  He  formed 
the  soldiers  into  brigades  and  accustomed  them  to  obedience. 
He  requested  congress  to  appoint  a  commissary  general,  a 
quartermaster  general,  and  a  paymaster  general;  a  number  ot 
men  were  instructed  in  the  management  of  artillery,  and  the 
army  was  soon  completely  organised  and  fit  for  service. 

The  troops  were  now  regularly  encamped  round  Boston 
and  occupied  a  space  of  ground  nearly  twelve  miles  in  length. 
The  English  had  strong  intrenchments  on  Bunker's  Hill  ana 
Roxbury  Neck ;  and  were  defended  by  floating  batteries  in 
the  Mystic  river,  and  a  ship  of  war  lying  between  Boston  anc 
Charlestown.  The  respective  forces  being  thus  disposed,  the 
siege  of  Boston  continued  until  the  succeeding  spring. 

In  consequence  of  orders  from  the  British  ministry  to  de- 
stroy the  sea-ports  of  the  rebellious  colonies,  four  ships,  under 
the  command  of  Captain  Mowatt,  were  despatched  to  Fal« 
mouth,  (now  Portland,)  in  Maine,  in  the  month  of  October; 
and,  after  offering  disgraceful  terms  of  submission  to  the  in- 
habitants, which  of  course  were  rejected,  he  commenced  a 
bombardment  and  speedily  reduced  the  town  to  ashes.  This 


When  did  Washington  join  the 
army? 

In  what  condition  did  he  find  it  ? 
How  did  be  rei;nedy  its  de^cieneies  f 


Where  were   the  Amencanf 

camped  ? 
Where  were  the  English  forcei  r 
Describe  the  affair  of  F'liffPQtb* 


BOSTON  EVACUATED. 


199 


unnecessary  and  cruel  act  of  aggression  only  served  still  fur- 
ther to  exasperate  the  colonies  against  the  mother  country. 

In  March,  1776,  General  Washington  determined  on  forcing 
the  British  to  evacuate  Boston.  Having  opened  his  batteries 
and  commenced  a  brisk  cannonade  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
city,  he  succeeded  in  occupying  Dorchester  Heights,  on  the 
evening  of  the  4th,  and  throwing  up  a  fortification  before 
morning.  General  Howe,  who  had  succeeded  General  Gage 
*n  the  chief  command,  on  discovering  that  this  position  was 
occupied,  saw  the  necessity  of  dislodging  the  Americans  or 
instantly  abandoning  the  place.  He  prepared  for  a  vigorous 
attack  on  the  works,  but  was  prevented  from  landing  his 
forces,  which  had  embarked  in  boats,  by  the  occurrence  of  a 
tremendous  storm.  Nothing  remained,  therefore,  but  to  eva 
cbate  the  place. 

The  British  were  not  annoyed  in  their  retreat,  as  they 
might  thus  have  been  provoked  to  burn  the  town ;  a  loss 
which  it  would  have  required  years  of  profitable  industry  to 
repair.  For  this,  and  some  other  reasons,  they  were  allowed 
to  embark  at  their  leisure,  and  take  with  iUtii  as  many  of 
the  adherents  to  the  royal  cause,  with  their  ef*e<  ts,  as  chose 
to  accompany  them.  On  the  17th  of  Marc*/,  their  fleet 
sailed  for  Halifax.  The  American  army,  under  Washington, 
hastened  towards  New  York,  whither  they  hvpposed  the 
English  were  gone. 


What  was  determined  by  Washington 

in  March,  1776  ? 
What  heights  did  he  occupy  ? 
4riiAt  wmt  ^me  hy  General  Howe  ? 


Why  were  the  British  permitted  to 

escape  without  loss  * 
Whither  did  the  Americans  proceed  ? 
Why? 


too 


CAPTURE  OF  FORT  AT.  JOHN. 


I  CHAPTER  XXV. 

EXPEDITION  AGAINST  CANADA. 

During  these  transactions  in  New  England,  events  oi  some 
importance  took  place  in  other  parts  of  America.  Congress 
nad  early  directed  its  attention  towards  Canada,  and  endea- 
voured either  to  gain  the  co-operation,  or  secure  the  neutrality 
of  the  inhabitants  in  its  dispute  with  Britain.  Addresses  had 
been  repeatedly  sent  to  them  in  the  French,  as  well  as  the 
English  language,  representing  the  tendency  of  the  new  mea- 
sures of  parliament,  and  these  had  not  been  without  »ome 
effect.  The  Canadians  generally  were  willing  to  remain 
neutral  in  the  contest. 

Congress  believed  them  to  be  partial  to  their  cause,  and 
resolved  to  anticipate  the  British,  by  striking  a  decided  blow 
in  that  quarter.  In  this  purpose  they  were  encouraged  by 
the  success  of  the  expedition  against  Crown  Point  and  Ticon- 
deroga,  as  well  as  by  the  small  number  of  troops  then  in  Ca- 
nada. They  appointed  General  Schuyler  commander  of  the 
expedition,  with  General  Montgomery  to  act  as  second  in 
command.  Early  in  September,  1775,  these  officers,  with 
about  1,000  men,  made  an  ineffectual  attack  on  Fort  St.  John, 
situated  on  the  river  Sorel ;  but  found  it  expedient  to  retire  to 
Isie-aux-Noix,  at  the  entrance  of  the  lake,  about  twelve  miles 
above  the  fort,  and  wait  for  an  increase  of  their  effective  force. 

Meanwhile  General  Schuyler,  being  taken  ill,  and  return- 
ing to  Albany,  the  command  devolved  upon  General  Mont- 
gomery, who  was  instructed  to  prosecute  the  enterprise  on 
receiving  reinforcements.  These  reinforcements  soon  ar- 
rived ;  the  attack  on  Fort  St.  John  was  renewed ;  and,  after 
a  vigorous  defence,  it  surrendered,  about  the  middle  of  No- 
vember. The  Americans  found,  in  the  fort,  a  considerable 
number  of  brass  and  iron  cannon,  howitzers,  and  mortars,  a 
quantity  of  shot  and  small  shells,  about  800  stand  of  small 
arms,  and  some  naval  stores ;  but  the  powder  and  provisions 
were  nearly  exhausted.   


H(»w  did  congress  endeavour  to  gain 

the  Canadians  ? 
What  were  they  willing  to  do  ? 
What  did  congress  design  ? 
Who  was  made  commander  ? 
Wkp  W»M  afifio»d  in  coiQwajDd  f 


What  was  done  by  them  ? 

Who  succeeded  Schuyler  in  the  com 

mand  ? 
What  fort  did  he  take  ? 
What  supplief  we^e  found  *bmi 


ESCAPE  OF  GOVERNOR  CARLETON. 


201 


Duiing  the  siege  of  Fort  St.  John,  Fort  Chamblee  had 
been  taken,  which  furnished  General  Montgomery  with  a 
plentiful  supply  of  provisions,  of  which  his  army  stood  much 
in  need.  General  Carleton,  on  his  way  from  Montreal,  had 
been  defeated  and  repulsed ;  and  Colonel  Ethan  Allen,  who 
had  made  an  unauthorised  and  rash  attack  on  Montreal,  had 
been  overcome,  made  prisoner,  and  sent  in  irons  to  England 

On  the  fall  of  Fort  St.  John,  General  Montgomery  advanced 
•gainst  Montreal,  which  was  not  in  a  condition  to  resist  hina. 
Governor  Carleton,  fully  sensible  of  his  inability  to  defend 
the  town,  quitted  it.  Next  day  General  Montgomery  entered 
Montreal.  He  treated  the  inhabitants  with  great  lenity, 
respecting  their  religion,  property,  and  rights ;  and  gained 
their  good  will  by  the  affability  of  his  manners,  and  the 
nobleness  and  generosity  of  his  disposition. 

A  body  of  provincials,  under  Colonel  Easton  had  been 
despatched  by  Montgomery,  and  took  post  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Sorel ;  and  by  means  of  an  armed  vessel  and  floating 
batteries,  commanded  the  navigation  of  the  St  Lawrence. 
The  British  force  which  had  retreated  down  th^  river  from 
Montreal,  consisting  of  120  soldiers  under  General  Prescott, 
and  accompanied  by  Governor  Carleton,  seeing  ii  impracti- 
cable to  force  a  passage,  surrendered  by  capitulahon.  About 
midnight,  the  day  before  the  capitulation.  Governor  Carleton 
escaped  down  the  river,  passing  through  the  Ameri^^iin  squadron 
in  a  boat  with  muffled  oars,  and  reached  Quebec  \n  safety. 
•  It  was  now  the  19th  of  November,  and  the  season  waa 
very  unfavourable  to  military  operations.  General  Mont- 
gomery, a  young  officer  of  superior  talent  and  hi^h  spirit, 
found  himself  placed  in  extremeCy  unpleasant  circumstances- 
He  was  at  the  head  of  a  body  of  armed  men,  by  no  m^^'jns  de- 
ficient in  courage  ana  patriotism,  but  totally  unaccus  med  to 
military  subordination.  The  term  of  service,  for  which  manv 
of  them  had  enlisted,  was  near  an  end ;  and,  heartily  we^rv 
of  the  hardships  of  the  campaign,  they  were  loudly  demand 
ing  their  discharge.  Nothing  but  devotion  to  the  cause 
could  have  made  the  general  continue  the  command.  Hitherto 
his  career  had  been  marked  with  success ;  and  he  was  ambi 
tious  of  closing  the  campaign  with  some  brilliant  achievemenl 


What  other  fort  was  taken  ? 
What  is  said  of  Carleton  ? 
Of  Ethan  Allen  ? 

Against  what  place  did  IV^ontgomery 

now  advance  ? 
Uid  he  take  the  place  f 


How  did  he  gain  the  good  will  of  the 

inhabitants  ? 
Who  were  captured  on  the  Sv  Law 

rence  ? 
How  did  Carleton  escape  f 
What  was  Montgomery*!  fituadoi 

1  B»W? 


1202 


ARNOLD  BEFORE  QcEBEC 


which  should  elevate  the  spirit  of  the  Americans  and  humble 
►he  pride  of  the  British  ministry.  With  these  views,  not- 
withstanding the  advanced  season  of  the  year,  he  hastened 
towards  Quebec,  although  he  had  found  it  necessary  to 
weaken  his  army,  which  had  never  exceeded  2,000  men,  by 
discharging  many  of  them  whose  terms  of  service  had 
expired. 

About  the  middle  of  September,  a  detachment  of  1,100 
men  under  Colonel  Arnold,  had  been  sent  from  the  vicinity 
of  Boston,  with  orders  to  march  across  the  country  against 
Quebec,  by  a  route  which  had  never  been  explored  and  was 
but  little  known.  The  party  embarked  at  Newbury,  steered 
for  the  Kennebec,  and  ascended  that  river,  in  order  to  reach 
Canada  by  penetrating  the  forests  in  the  interior  of  Maine— 
a  most  difficult  and  hazardous  attempt.  Their  progress  was 
impeded  by  rapids  and  by  an  almost  impassable  wilderness; 
and  they  suffered  incredible  hardships  through  the  severity 
of  the  weather  and  the  want  of  provisions.  They  separated 
into  several  divisions ;  and  the  last,  under  Colonel  Enos, 
finding  itself  unable  to  proceed,  returned  to  the  camp  at 
Roxbury.  But  the  other  divisions,  under  Arnold,  pressed 
forward,  and  triumphed  over  every  obstacle.  For  a  month 
tiiey  toiled  through  a  rough  and  barren  wilderness,  without 
seeing  a  human  habitation,  or  the  face  of  an  individual  except 
of  their  own  party  ;  and  their  provisions  were  exhausted  ;  so 
that  Arnold  was  obliged  to  push  forward  before  the  rest,  with 
t  few  followers,  and  obtain  a  supply  from  the  nearest  Cana- 
dian settlement.  At  length,  on  the  9th  of  November,  the 
partv.  with  iU*  force  much  diminished,  arrived  at  Point  Levi, 
opposite  Quebec 

His  appearance,  says  an  English  writer,  was  not  unex 
pected ;  for  the  lieitenant  governor  had  been  for  some  time 
apprised  of  his  march.  In  the  early  part  of  his  progress, 
Arnold  had  met  an  Indian,  to  whom,  although  a  stranger,  he 
had  imprudently  trusted  a  letter  to  General  Schuyler,  under 
cover,  to  a  friend  in  Quebec.  The  Indian,  instead  of  faith 
fully  delivering  the  letter,  according  to  the  directions  which 
he  had  received,  carried  it  to  the  lieutenant  governor,  who,  ia 
order  to  prevent  the  Americans  from  passing  the  river,  imme 
diately  removed  all  the  canoes  from  Point  Levi,  and  began  to 


Towards  what  place  did  he  march  ?  How  had  Arnold's  imprudence  pre* 
Describe  Arnold's  expedition  through      vented  him  from  surprising  Qije- 

ihe  wilderness.  bee  ? 

When  dil  he  reach  Poic  L««a  ?        j  What  was  the  consequeocf  ? 


MONTGOMERY  BEFORE  QUEBEC 


203 


put  the  city  in  a  posture  of  defence ;  which,  but  ftr  this  folly 
and  rashness  of  Arnold,  might  have  been  easily  surprised. 

On  discovering  the  arrival  of  Arnold  at  Pomt  Levi,  the 
British  commander  stationed  two  vessels  of  war  in  the  river 
to  guard  the  passage  ;  and  at  that  interesting  crisis  Colonel 
M*Lean,  who  had  retreated  before  Montgomery,  arrived  from 
the  Sorel,  with  about  one  hundred  and  seventy  newly  raised 
troops  to  assist  in  defence  of  the  place. 

in  spite  of  the  vigilance  of  the  British,  Arnold  succeeded 
on  the  night  of  the  14th  of  November,  in  crossing  the  river 
with  five  hundred  men  in  canoes,  and  landed  near  the  place 
where  the  brave  and  enterprising  Wolfe  had  landed,  sixteen 
years  before,  called,  from  this  circumstance,  Wolfe's  Cove. 
Not  being  able  to  convey  his  scaling  ladders  over  the  river 
with  his  troops,  he  could  not  immediately  attack  the  town. 
Instead  of  concealhig  himself,  till  his  scaling  ladders  could 
be  brought  forward,  and  then  making  a  sudden  and  unex- 
pected attack  by  night,  he  marched  part  of  his  troops  in 
military  parade  in  sight  of  the  garrison ;  and  so  put  the 
British  fully  on  their  guard.  He  wished  to  summon  them 
to  surrender.  But  they  fired  upon  his  flag  of  truce,  and 
refused  to  hold  any  communication  with  him.  He  therefore 
on  the  19th  of  the  month,  retired  from  Quebec  to  Point  aux 
Trembles,  about  twenty  miles  above  the  city,  where  General 
Montgomery,  with  the  force  under  his  command,  joined  hirn 
on  the  1st  of  December.  From  him  the  soldiers  of  Arnold 
received  a  supply  of  winter  clothing  which  their  previous 
condition  rendered  particularly  acceptable. 

Soon  after  Arnold's  retreat.  Governor  Carleton  arrived  in 
Quebec,  and  exerted  himself  to  put  the  place  in  a  state  of 
defence. 

General  Montgomery  having  brought  the  scaling  ladders 
across  the  river,  appeared  with  his  whole  force  before 
Quebec  on  the  5th  of  December.  The  garrison  was  then 
more  numerous  than  it?  assailants.  The  Americans  amounted 
to  but  nme  hundred  efteciive  men,  while  Governor  Carleton 
had  about  fifteen  hundred,  soldiers,  militia,  seamen,  and 
volunteers  under  his  command. 

General  Montgomery  sent  a  flag  of  truce  to  summon  th« 


How  did  the  British  commander 

guaid  the  river  ? 
How  was  he  reinforced  I 
What  was  done  by  Arnold  on  the 

14th  of  November  ? 
^bat  blunder  did  be  make 


How  was  his  flag  of  truce  received  / 
Whither  did  he  retire  } 
Who  joined  him  there  ? 
What  is  said  of  Carleton  * 
Of  Montgomery^ 


204 


DEATH  OF  MONTGOMERY. 


garrison  to  surrender;  but  it  was  fired  upon,  as  that  of  Amok 
had  been  ;  and  although  it  was  in  the  depth  of  a  Canadian 
winter  and  in  the  most  intense  cold,  he  proceeded  to  the 
diflicidt  task  of  erecting  batteries  ;  but  his  artillery  was  too 
light  to  make  any  impression  on  the  fortifications.  He  theie 
fore  determined  to  storm  the  town  ;  and  the  assault  was  made 
on  the  morning  of  ihe  31st  of  December. 

About  four  o'clock  in  the  m  orning,  in  the  midst  of  a  violent 
storm  of  snow,  two  feints  and  two  real  attacks  were  simul 
taneously  made.  The  real  attacks  were  conducted  by  Mont 
gomery  and  Arnold.  Montgomery  advancing  at  the  head  of 
about  two  hundred  men,  fell  by  the  first  discharge  of  grape 
shot  from  the  works.  Several  of  his  best  officers  being 
killed,  his  division  retreated.  Arnold,  at  the  head  of  about 
three  hundred  men,  in  a  diflferent  quarter,  maintained  a  fierce 
and  obstinate  conflict  for  some  time ;  but  was  at  last  wounded 
and  repulsed,  leaving  many  of  his  men  in  the  hands  of  the 
enemy.  The  death  of  Montgomery  was  the  subject  of  much 
regret,  as  he  had  been  universally  loved  and  esteemed.  On 
assembling,  after  the  assault,  so  large  a  number  had  been 
killed  or  taken  prisoners,  that  the  provincials  could  not 
muster  many  more  than  four  hundred  efifective  men,  who 
chose  Arnold  for  their  commander ;  and  in  the  hope  of  re- 
ceiving reinforcements,  resolved  to  remain  in  the  vicinity  o 
Quebec. 

Sir  Guy  Carleton  acquired  much  honour,  not  ouly  by  his 
gallant  defence  of  the  city,  but  also,  by  the  humanity  with 
which  he  treated  all  his  prisoners.  The  sick  and  wounded, 
he  caused  to  be  taken  care  of,  and  permitted  them,  when  re- 
covered, to  return  to  their  homes  unmolested.  The  Ameri' 
cans  were  not  ignorant  of  their  own  inferiority  in  point  of 
numbers  to  the  garrison,  and  were  not  without  apprehensions 
of  being  attacked ;  but  although  the  garrison  was  three  times 
more  numerous  than  the  besieging  army,  it  was  of  such  a 
mixed  and  precarious  character,  that  Carleton  did  not  deem  it 
prudent  to  march  out  against  his  enemy. 

A  small  reinforcement,  from  Massachusetts,  reached  the 
American  camp,  and  all  the  troops,  that  could  be  spared  from 
Montreal,  marched  to  join  their  countrymen  before  Quebec 
but  the  month  of  February  was  far  advanced  before  the  army 


What  is  said  ot  the  comparative  force 

of  tlie  two  parties  ? 
How  was  Montgomery's  flag  treated  ? 
What  did  he  then  do  ? 
When  was  the  assault  made  on  Q,ie- 


\  What  was  the  result  ? 
How  did  Carleton  behave  ? 
Why  did  he  not  attack  in  hi^  turn 
Who  relieved  the  Americans? 
What  was  their  number  in  Febiuaiy  i 


FALL  OF  QUEBEC, 


imounted  to  960  men.  Arnold,  however,  resumed  the  siege; 
but  his  artillery  was  inadequate  to  the  undertaking,  anu  made 
no  impression  on  the  works.  Although  unsuccessful  against 
the  town,  he  defeated  a  body  of  Canadians,  who  advanced  to 
relieve  it;  and  succeeded  so  well  in  cutting  off  supplies  from 
the  country,  that  the  garrison  was  reduced  to  great  distress 
for  want  of  pr?  ^visions. 

When  the  Americans  entered  the  province,  many  of  the 
nhabitants  were  well  disposed  towards  them,  as  the  frienda 
nd  defenders  of  liberty.  But  by  their  subsequent  behaviour, 
they  forfeited  the  good  will,  and  provoked  the  hostility  of  the 
Canadians.  They  were  wanting  in  respect  to  the  clergy; 
compelled  the  people  to  furnish  them  with  articles  below  the 
current  prices ;  gave  illegal  and  unsigned  certificates  for  goods 
which  they  had  received,  which  were  consequently  rejected 
by  the  quartermaster  general.  They  made  promises  and  did 
not  perform  them  ;  and  insulted  the  people  when  they 
demanded  payment  of  their  just  debts.  Such  conduct,  oi 
course,  alienated  the  affections  of  the  Canadians,  who  con- 
sidered congress  as  bankrupt,  and  their  army  as  a  band  of 
plunderers. 

On  hearing  of  this  scandalous  misconduct,  congress  or- 
dered justice  to  be  done  to  the  Canadians,  and  the  strictest 
military  discipline  to  be  observed.  But  in  Canada  the  tide 
of  popular  sentiment  and  feeling  was  turned  against  the 
Americans,  who,  by  their  unworthy  practices,  had  awakened 
a  spirit  of  hostility,  which  all  the  policy  of  Governor  Carle- 
ton  had  been  unable  to  excite. 

While  the  American  army  lay  before  Quebec,  the  troops 
had  caught  the  small-pox  from  a  woman  who  had  been  a 
nurse  in  one  of  the  hospitals  of  the  city,  and  the  loathsome 
disease  spread  rapidly  among  them.  In  order  to  mitigate 
its  ravages,  many  of  the  men,  regardless  of  orders  to  the 
contrary,  inoculated  themselves.  The  reinforcements,  which 
were  daily  arriving,  had  recourse  to  the  same  practice; 
and,  so  general  was  the  infection,  that  on  the  first  of  May, 
although  the  army  amounted  to  2,000  men,  yet  not  more 
than  900  were  fit  for  duty.  In  this  diseased  state  of  the 
troops,  medicines,  and  every  thing  necessary  for  the  sick 
were  wanting.  The  men  were  also  scattered,  lor  w^ant  of 
barracks. 


How  did  Arnold  carry  on  the  war  ?  What  disease  visited  the  Arnerlcan 

How  did  the  Americans  render  them-  camp  ? 

se'ves  unpopular  in  Canada  ^  What  was  its  effect  on  the  numbers 

What  wag  done  by  congress  ?  and  condition  of  the  army  f 

18 


206  THE  AMERICANS  RETREAT  FROM  CANADA. 


Major  General  Thomas,  who  had  been  appointed  to  iht 
command  of  the  American  army  in  Canada,  arrived  in  canfip 
on  the  first  of  May.  He  found  the  troops  enfeebled  by  ais- 
ease,  ill  supplied  with  provisions,  and  with  only  a  small  quan- 
tity of  ammunition.  The  river  was  opening  below,  and  he 
was  well  aware,  that,  as  soon  as  ships  could  force  their  way 
through  the  ice,  the  garrison  would  be  reinforced.  On  the 
fifth  of  May,  therefore,  he  resolved  to  retreat  towards  Mon- 
treal ;  and,  on  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  he  received  cer- 
tain information  that  a  British  fleet  was  in  the  river.  Next 
morning  some  of  the  ships,  by  great  exertion,  and  with  much 
danger,  pressed  through  the  ice,  into  the  harbour,  and  landed 
0ome  troops. 

The  Americans  were  preparing  to  retire ;  General  Carleton 
marched  out  to  attack  them  ;  but,  instead  of  awaiting  his 
approach,  they  made  a  precipitate  retreat,  leaving  behind  them 
their  sick,  baggage,  artillery,  and  military  stores.  Many  of 
those  who  were  ill  of  the  small-pox,  escaped  from  the  hos- 
pitals, and  concealed  themselves  in  the  country,  where  they 
were  kindly  entertained,  by  the  Canadians,  till  they  re- 
covered and  were  able  to  follow  their  countrymen.  General 
Carleton  could  not  overtake  the  retreating  army  ;  but  he  took 
about  100  sick  prisoners,  whom  he  treated  with  characteristic 
humanity. 

The  Americans  retreated  about  forty-five  miles,  and  then 
halted  a  few  days ;  but,  afterwards,  proceeded  to  Sorel,  in  a 
distressed  condition,  and  encamped  there.  In  this  interval, 
some  reinforcements  arrived.  General  Thomas,  being  seized 
with  the  small-pox,  died,  and  was  succeeded  in  the  command 
by  General  Sullivan. 

The  British  had  several  military  posts  in  Upper  Canada; 
and  the  Americans  established  one  at  the  Cedars,  a  point  of 
land  projecting  into  the  St.  Lawrence,  about  forty  miles  above 
Montreal.  The  garrison  consisted  of  400  men,  under  the 
command  of  Colonel  Bedell.  Captain  Foster,  with  abou'^ 
600  regulars  and  Indians,  marched  from  Oswegatchie  to 
attack  this  post.  The  American  commander  having  received 
an  intimation,  that,  if  any  of  the  Indians  were  killed,  the 
garrison  would  probably  be  massacred,  made  but  a  short  and 
feeble  resistance  before  he  surrendered  the  place. 

An  American  party  of  about  100  men,  under  Major  Shep 


Who  was  now  commander  of  the 

Americans  ? 
What  course  did  he  take  ? 
'A^liat  coiiipelled  him  to  retreat  f 


Whither  did  the  Americans  retire/ 

What  general  died  ? 
Who  succeeded  him  ? 


WOAHOlffTAS  BAYBS  CAPTAIN  UaTU'H  UTS. 


ORERAtlONS   IS    VPPER  CANaDa. 


201 


burne,  left  Montreal  to  assist  their  countrymen  al  the  Ctdars 
As  they  approached  that  place  on  the  day  after  the  surrender 
Ignorant  of  that  event,  they  were  suddenly  and  unexpectedly 
attacked  by  a  body  of  Indians  and  Canadians.  After  defend- 
ing themselves  for  some  time,  the  Americans  were  overpow- 
ered, and  many  of  them  fell  under  the  tomahawks  of  the 
Indians.    The  rest  were  made  prisoners. 

Arnold,  who  in  the  month  of  January  had  been  raised  to 
the  rank  of  brigadier  general,  was  desirous  of  recovering  the 
Cedars  and  of  relieving  the  prisoners  there  ;  and,  for  these 
purposes  marched  towards  that  place  at  the  head  of  about 
800  men.  But  on  his  approach.  Captain  Foster  gave  him 
notice,  that  unless  he  agreed  to  a  cartel,  which  had  already 
been  signed  by  Major  Sherburne  and  some  other  officers,  the 
Indians  would  put  all  the  prisoners  to  death.  In  these  cir- 
cumstances, Arnold  reluctantly  signed  the  cartel  and  retired. 
Congress  long  hesitated  and  delayed  to  sign  this  agreement. 

Before  the  end  of  May,  the  British  force  in  Canada  was 
greatly  increased  ;  and  including  the  German  mercenaries, 
was  estimated  at  13,000  men.  This  force  was  widely  dis- 
persed ;  but  Three  Rivers,  half  way  between  Quebec  and 
Montreal,  was  the  point  of  general  rendezvous.  A  consi- 
derable detachment,  under  General  Frazer,  had  already  ar- 
rived there.  General  Sullivan  despatched  General  Thompson, 
with  a  party,  to  surprise  them,  but  the  enterprise  failed 
Thompson  was  made  prisoner,  and  his  detachment  dispersed. 

When  the  British  sea  and  land  forces  had  collected  at 
Three  Rivers,  they  advanced,  by  land  and  water,  towards  the 
Sorel.  General  Sullivan  had  retreated  up  that  river;  and 
General  Burgoyne  was  ordered  cautiously  to  pursue  him. 
On  the  15th  of  June,  Arnold  quitted  Montreal  and  retired  to 
Crown  Point  with  little  loss  in  the  retreat.*  The  American 
forces  were  thus  completely  withdrawn  from  Canada,  and 
this  bold  and  hazardous  invasion  was  finally  terminated.  Il 
had  cost  much  suffering  and  many  valuable  lives  ;  and  it  pro 
duced  no  advantage  to  the  American  cause. 


Relate  the  affair  of  the  Cedars. 

Of  the  party  who  came  to  relieve  the 

Americans  at  the  Cedars. 
*)f  Arr  old's  attempt  to  recover  the 

Cedars. 


What  is  said  of  the  British  force  io 
Canada  ? 

Of  General  Thompson's  capture  ? 

Describe  the  final  retreat  of  the  Ame- 
ricans from  Canada. 

What  is  said  of  this  expedition 


•  Sir  Guy  Carleton  succeeded  in  gaining  possession  of  TicoDderoga  an/ 
Lake  Champlain,  in  the  succeeding  October. 


2(m 


OPERATIONS  IN  CHARLEStOM . 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

CAMPAIGN  OF  1776. 

The  spring  of  1776  opened  with  very  little  prospect  ol 
<iconciliation  between  Great  Britain  and  her  colonies.  St 
answer  was  returned  to  the  petition  of  congress  to  the  king , 
but  intelligence  was  received  that  the  British  had  made  trea 
ties  with  the  landgrave  of  Hes.^e  Cassel,  and  other  petty  Ger- 
man sovereignties,  and  hired  from  them  about  17,000  merce- 
nary troops,  for  the  sei  vice  of  the  crown  in  America.  These 
trooi)s,  known  among  the  colonists  by  the  general  name  of 
riessians,  were  much  dreaded,  until  after  a  few  thousand  of 
them  had  been  killed  or  made  prisoners.  It  was  also  under 
stood,  that,  in  addition  to  these  men,  25,000  British  soldiers 
would  be  sent  over.  A  part  of  this  force  was  said  to  be 
destined  for  Charleston,  in  South  Carolina. 

On  the  2d  of  June,  1776,  the  alarm  guns  were  fired  in  the 
vicinity  of  Charleston,  and  expresses  sent  to  the  mihtia 
officers  to  hasten  with  their  men  to  the  defence  of  the  capital. 
The  order  was  promptly  obeyed  ;  and  some  continental  re- 
giments, from  the  neighbouring  states,  also  arrived.  The 
whole  was  under  the  direction  of  General  Lee,  who  had  been 
appointed  commander  of  all  the  forces  in  the  southern  states, 
and  had  under  his  direction  the  continental  generals,  Arm- 
strong and  Howe. 

Charleston  was  all  alive  with  the  bustle  of  warlike  prepara- 
tion. The  citizens,  abandoning  their  usual  occupations,  em- 
ployed themselves  in  putting  the  town  in  a  respectable  state 
of  defence.  They  pulled  down  the  valuable  store-houses  on 
the  wharves,  barricaded  the  streets  and  constructed  lines  ot 
defence  along  the  shore.  The  troops,  amounting  to  between 
5  and  6,000  men,  were  stationed  in  the  most  advantageous 
positions.  The  second  and  third  regular  regiments  of  South 
Carolina,  under  Colonels  Moultrie  and  Thomson,  were  posted 
on  Sullivan's  Island.  A  regiment,  commanded  by  Colonel 
Gadsden,  was  stationed  at  Fort  Johnson,  about  three  mile« 


What  was  the  state  of  affairs  in  the 

spiing  of  1776? 
What  sort  of  troops  were  obtained 

ly  the  Fnglish  government  for  the 

«ervirp  ill  Anoerica  f 


For  what  plaxie  were  a  part  of  tbcM 

troops  (lestinea  ? 
How  did  the  inhabitan  3  prepare  foi 

defence  ? 
What  was  their  force  t 


ATTACK  ON  THE  FORT  AT  CHARLESTON.  209 

below  Charleston,  on  the  most  northerly  point  of  James 
Island,  and  within  point  blank  shot  of  the  channel.  Tl  e  res 
of  the  troops  were  posted  at  Haddrel's  Point,  along  the  bay, 
near  the  town,  and  at  such  other  places  as  were  thought  mo»* 
proper.  Amidst  all  this  bustle  and  preparation,  lead  for  bullets 
T/as  extremely  scarce,  and  the  windows  of  Charleston  were 
stripped  of  their  weights,  in  order  to  procure  a  small  supply 
of  that  necessary  article. 

While  the  Americans  were  thus  busily  employed,  the 
British  were  not  idle.  About  the  middle  of  February,  an 
armament  had  sailed  from  the  Cove  of  Cork,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Sir  Peter  Parker,  and  Earl  Cornwallis,  to  encourage 
and  support  the  loyalists*  in  the  southern  provinces. 

Al'ter  a  tedious  voyage,  the  greater  part  of  the  fleet  reacheo 
Cape  Fear,  in  North  Carolina,  on  the  3d  of  May.  General 
Clinton,  who  had  left  Boston  in  December,  took  command  of 
the  land  forces  and  issued  a  proclamation,  promising  pardon 
to  all  the  inhabitants  who  would  lay  down  their  arms.  Bui 
this  oflfer  produced  no  effect.  Early  in  June,  the  armament, 
consisting  of  between  40  and  50  vessels,  appeared  off  Charles- 
ton, and  36  of  the  transports  passed  the  bar  and  anchored 
about  three  miles  from  Sullivan's  Island.  Some  hundreds 
of  the  troops  landed  on  Long  Island,  which  lies  on  the  west 
of  Sullivan's  Island,  and  which  is  separated  from  it  by  a  nar- 
row channel,  often  fordable. 

On  the  10th  and  25th  of  June,  two  50  gun  ships  passed 
the  bar,  and  the  British,  having  now  about  10  ships  of  war 
ready  for  action,  prepared  to  engage.  The  troops,  amounting 
10  3,000,  were  under  the  command  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  the 
naval  force  under  the  admiral,  Sir  Peter  Parker. 

On  the  forenoon  of  the  28th  of  June,  this  fleet  advanced 
against  the  fort  on  Sullivan's  Island,  which  was  defended  by 
Colonel  Moultrie  with  344  regular  troops  and  some  militia, 
who  volunteered  their  services  on  the  occasion.    The  battle 


When  did  the  British  fleet  arrive  ? 
Explain  the  terms  Whig  and  Toi-y. 
Wieve  did  they  land  troops  ? 
What  was  the  British  naval  force, 
and  who  commanded  it  ? 


Who  commanded  the  army  ? 

What  was  the  number  of  Britudb 

troops  ? 
What  fort  did  they  attack  ? 
Who  commanded  the  defence  ? 


•  The  adherents  of  the  royal  cause,  in  America,  were  called  Tories,  an« 
their  opponents  Whigs,  These  designations  were  derived  from  the  partief 
in  England,  who  were  respectively  arrayed  in  the  defence  of  royal  preroga- 
tive, or  popular  rights.  The  tories,  in  America,  wero  in  a  most  uncoinfort' 
^le  position  during  a  great  part  of  the  revolutionary  struggle. 

19* 


210 


DEFENCE  OF  THE  FORT. 


commenced  with  a  tremendous  discharge  of  cannon  and  bombi 
upon  the  fort,  w.iich  was  returned  slowly,  but  with  deliberate 
And  deadly  aim  The  contest  was  carried  on  during  the 
whole  day  with  unabating  fury.  All  the  forces  at  Charleston 
etcod  prepared  for  battle  ;  and  both  the  troops  and  the  nume- 
lous  spectators  beheld  the  conflict  with  alternations  of  hope 
and  fear,  which  appeared  in  their  countenances  and  gestjres. 
They  knew  not  how  soon  the  foit  might  be  silenced  or  passed 
by,  and  an  attack  made  upon  themselves;  but  they  were 
resolved  to  meet  the  invaders  at  the  water's  edge,  to  dispute 
every  inch  of  ground,  and  to  prefer  death  to  slavery. 

Three  of  the  British  ships  were  ordered  to  assail  the  west- 
ern extremity  of  the  fort,  which  was  in  a  very  unfinished 
state  ;  but  as  they  proceeded  for  that  purpose,  they  got  en- 
tangled with  a  shoal,  called  the  Middle  Ground,  ran  foul  o 
each  other ;  and  one  of  them  remained  aground  ;  so  that  thir 
part  of  the  attack  completely  failed  in  the  outset. 

It  had  been  concerted  that,  durinor  the  attack  by  the  ships 
Sir  Henry  Clinton,  with  the  troops,  should  pass  the  narrow 
channel  which  separates  Long  Island  from  Sullivan's  Island, 
and  assail  the  fort  by  land  ;  but  this  the  general  found  im- 
practicable ;  the  channel,  usually  fordable,  having  been  re- 
cently deepened  by  a  long  prevalence  of  easterly  winds.  If 
Sir  Henry  had  succeeded  in  passing  the  channel,  he  would 
have  been  met  at  the  water's  edge,  by  a  strong  detachment 
of  riflemen,  regulars  and  militia,  under  Colonel  Thomson, 
who  were  posted  at  the  east  end  of  Sullivan's  Island,  to 
oppose  any  attack  made  in  that  quarter. 

In  the  course  of  the  day,  the  fire  of  the  fort  ceased,  for  a 
short  time,  and  the  British  flattered  themselves  that  the  guns 
were  abandoned  ;  but  the  pause  was  occasioned  solely  by  the 
want  of  powder,  and  when  a  supply  was  obtained,  the  can- 
nonade recommenced  as  steadily  as  before.  The  engagement, 
vrhich  began  about  11  o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  continued  with 
unabated  fury  till  7  in  the  evening,  when  the  fire  slackened, 
md  at  about  9,  entirely  ceased  on  both  sides. 

During  the  night,  all  the  ships,  except  the  Acteon  which 
was  aground,  hauled  oflf  in  rather  a  discomfited  plight  to  the 
distance  of  two  miles  from  the  island.  Next  morning,  the  for* 
fired  a  few  shots  at  the  Acteon,  and  she  at  first  returned  them 


Describe  the  attack  on  the  fort. 
What  is  said  of  the  people  of  Charles- 
ton ? 

What  happened  to  three  of  the  British 
ships/ 


How  was  Sir  Henry  Cliaton  foiled  ^ 
How  long  did  the  battle  last  ? 
What  passed  during  the  night ' 
What  happened  next  morning 


THE  BRITISH  DRIVEN  FROM  CHARLESTON. 


211 


but  \:  a  short  time  her  crew  set  her  on  fire  and  abandoned 
her.  A.  party  of  Americans  boarded  the  burning  vessel, 
seized  her  colours,  fired  some  of  her  guns  at  Admiral  Parker, 
filled  three  boats  with  her  sails  and  stores,  and  then  quitted 
her.  She  blew  up  shortly  afterwards.  In  a  few  days  the 
whole  fleet,  with  the  troops  on  board,  sailed  for  New  York. 
In  this  obstinate  engagement  the  Americans  fought  with 

freat  gallantry,  and  the  loss  of  the  British  was  very  severe, 
n  the  course  of  the  engagement,  the  flag-staff  of  the  fort  was 
shot  away  ;  but  Sergeant  Jasper  leaped  down  upon  the  beach, 
snatched  up  the  flag,  fastened  it  to  a  sponge-stafl^,  and  while 
the  ships  were  incessantly  directing  their  broadsides  upon  the 
fort,  he  mounted  the  merlon  and  deliberately  replaced  the 
flag.  Next  day.  President  Rutledge  presented  him  with  a 
sword,  as  a  testimony  of  respect  for  his  distinguished  valour. 
Colonel  Moultrie  and  the  officers  and  troops  on  Sullivan's 
Island,  received  the  thanks  of  their  country  for  their  bravery; 
and  in  honour  of  the  gallant  commander  the  fort  was  named 
Fort  Moultrie. 

The  failure  of  the  attack  on  Charleston  was  of  great  impor- 
tance to  the  American  cause,  and  contributed  much  to  the 
establishment  of  the  popular  government.  The  friends  of 
congress  triumphed  ;  the  diffident  became  bold  ;  and  many 
of  the  tories  abandoned  their  party  and  attached  themselves 
to  the  cause  of  American  liberty.  The  brave  defence  of  Fort 
Moultrie  saved  the  southern  states  from  the  horrors  of  war  for 
several  years. 

One  of  the  disgraceful  traits  in  the  conduct  of  this  war  by 
the  English  authorities  was  the  employment  of  Indian  savages 
against  the  Americans.  Deaf  to  all  the  dictates  and  prompt- 
ings of  humanity,  they  sent  these  ruthless  marauders  to  spread 
havoc  and  destruction  on  the  frontiers,  so  that  fearful  atro- 
cities are  recorded  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  The  massacres 
of  Wyoming,  Cherry  Valley,  Esopus  will  ever  be  remembered. 

When  the  ministry  resolved  to  send  a  fleet  to  attack  the 
southern  colonies,  it  employed  agents  to  excite  the  Cberokees 
to  begin  operations  in  their  barbarous  style  against  the 
frontiers  of  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia.  The  savages  gladly 
took  up  the  hatchet,  and  war  parties  were  formed  in  every 
Cherokee  village  to  go  forth  on  their  errand  of  destruction, 
all  eager  to  imbrue  their  hands  in  the  blood  of  the  helpless 
and  aged,  feeble  women  and  children.  When  the  fleet  had  first 


What  is  related  of  Sergeant  Jasper  ?     I  What  name  was  given  to  the  fort  ? 
How  was  he  rewarded  ?  |  What  were  the  effects  of  this  victory  ? 


%i2 


PREPARAnONS  FOK  INDEPENDENCE. 


appeared  in  Charleston  bay,  the  Cherokee  Indians  had  treach* 
erously  invaded  the  western  frontier  of  the  province,  marking 
their  course,  as  usual,  with  murder  and  devastation.  The 
speedy  retreat  of  the  British  fleet  left  the  savages  exposed  to 
the  vengeance  of  the  Americans,  who,  in  separate  divisions, 
entered  their  country  at  different  points,  from  Virginia  and 
Georgia,  defeated  their  warriors,  burned  their  villages,  laid 
waste  their  cornfields,  and  rendered  the  Cherokees  incapable 
of  giving  annoyance  to  the  settlers  for  some  time  to  come. 
Thus,  in  the  south,  the  Americans,  at  this  time,  triumphed 
over  the  arms  both  of  the  British  and  the  Indians. 

Intelligence  of  the  rejection  of  their  second  petition,  and  of 
the  cold  indifference  observed  towards  Mr.  Penn,  the  provin- 
cial agent,  by  the  British  government,  had  reached  congress 
in  November,  1775,  and  awakened  a  strong  sensation  through- 
out the  provinces.  It  showed  the  colonists  in  what  light  their 
conduct  was  viewed  by  the  British  cabinet,  and  what  they  had 
to  expect  from  the  parent  state.  It  was  clear  enough  now, 
that  there  was  no  medium  between  unconditional  submission 
and  absolute  independence.  The  colonists  saw  that  they  must 
either  abandon  every  thing  for  which  they  had  been  hitherto 
contending,  or  assert  their  freedom  by  force  of  arms;  and 
many  of  them  were  struck  with  the  incongruity  of  professing 
allegiance  to  a  power  which  their  martial  battalions  were 
opposing  in  the  field. 

That  men,  who  had  always  been  accustomed  to  the  rights 
of  freedom  and  self-government,  should  descend  from  their 
exalted  rank  to  the  degradation  of  slavery — that  they  should 
abandon  every  thing  which  they  held  dear,  and  become  the 
crouching  subjects  of  a  suspected,  despised,  and  oppressed 
dependency  of  the  British  empire,  was  not  to  be  expected. 
The  colonists  spurned  the  thought  of  such  degradation. 
Entirely  emancipated  from  the  antiquated  notions  of  pre- 
rogative, which  guided  the  councils  of  the  British  cabinet, 
the  provincial  leaders  took  the  most  prompt  and  efficacious 
measures  to  give  a  new  bias  to  the  public  mind,  and  to  pre- 
pare the  people  for  a  new  state  of  things.  Independence, 
which,  in  the  earlier  stages  of  the  contest,  had  been  casually 
and  obliquely  hinted,  was  now  made  a  topic  of  public  discus- 
sion.   At  first  it  alarmed  timid  and  moderate  men,  who  had 


Of  what  treachery  were  the  Chero- 
kees guilty  ? 

How  were  they  punished  ? 

What  nf  ws  was  received  from  Eng- 
land * 


What  was  the  effect  of  this  intelli- 
gence ? 

What  were  now  the  sentiments  of  t 
large  part  of  the  colonists  ? 


DECLARATION  OF   INDEPENDENCE  SIGNED.  '^13 

B  glimpse  of  the  calamitous  scenes  which  such  a  course  would 
open  before  them.  But  the  partisans  of  independence  were 
bold  and  indefatigable  ;  tney  laboured  incessantly  in  rendering 
the  subject  familiar  to  the  popular  ear  and  mind ;  the  number 
of  iheir  adherents  daily  increased  ;  and  many,  who  had  been 
hostile  to  a  separation  from  Britain,  became  friendly  to  that 
measure,  or  ceased  to  oppose  it.  They  justly  thought  cir- 
cumstances so  desperate,  that  matters  could  not  be  rendered 
worse  by  the  attempt,  and  success  might  be  beneficial. 

At  that  time.  Thomas  Paine,  an  Englishman,  who  had  re- 
cently arrived  in  America,  published  a  pamphlet,  under  the 
title  of  *  Common  Sense,'  which  had  a  prodigious  influence 
in  promoting  the  cause  of  independence ;  it  was  widely  cir- 
culated and  universally  read.  Although  Paine  was  a  man  of 
no  learning,  and  of  very  little  knowledge,  yet  he  had  a  shrewd 
understanding,  and  a  confident  and  popular  manner  of  writing, 
to  which  cause  the  extraordinary  effect  of  his  pamphlet  on  the 
public  mind  may  be  traced. 

The  subject  having  been  discussed  in  a  variety  of  ways  in 
the  different  provinces  ;  having,  in  several  of  them,  met  with 
more  or  less  opposition  ;  and  many  of  the  members  of  con- 
gress having  received  instructions  on  the  point,  from  their 
constituents,  it  was  solemnly  taken  into  consideration  by  that 
body,  in  the  month  of  June,  and  discussed  with  closed  doors, 
in  a  very  animated  manner.  Among  the  advocates  of  the 
measure  John  Adams,  of  Massachusetts,  was  the  most  con- 
spicuous ;  arid  among  its  zealous,  but  sincere  and  honourable 
opponents,  was  John  Dickenson,  of  Pennsylvania.  The 
debate  was  as  animated  and  earnest  as  it  was  momentous. 
The  friends  of  the  measure,  however,  finally  prevailed.  The 
declaration  of  independence*  passed  ;  and,  on  the  fourth  of 
/ULY,  1776,  the  members  having  severally  affixed  their  signa- 
tures to  the  document,  it  was  publicly  proclaimed  to  the  peo- 
ple from  the  door  of  the  state  house,  in  Philadelphia,  and 
received  with  shouts  of  gratulation,  and  the  ringing  of  bells, 
and  firing  of  cannon — tokens  of  rejoicing,  which,  according 
to  the  celebrated  prediction  of  John  Adams,  have  been 


How  did  the  friends  of  independence 
operate  on  the  public  mind  ? 

W^hat  writer  was  distinguished  for  his 
boldoess  and  success  ? 


When  was  the  subject  of  mdependeoci 

taken  up  in  congress  ? 
Who  advocated  the  declaration  ? 
Who  opposed  it  ? 

W  lieu  was  it  signed  and  proclaimed 


•  See  Appendix- 


•214  DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE. 

ann'ialiy  repeated  to  the  present  day.  The  hall  in  which 
iJie  continental  congress  was  then  assembled,  was  thence 
forward  called  Independence  Hall ;  and  the  public  square,  in 
which  Americans  first  assembled  to  hear  the  charter  of  theii 
freedom  read,  still  retains  the  name  of  Independence  Square 
The  conclusion  of  this  celebrated  state  paper  was  in  the 
'bllowing  words — at  once  firm,  temperate,  and  solemn  : 

*  We,  the  representatives  of  the  United  States  of  America, 
n  general  congress  assembled,  appeahng  to  the  Supreme 
Judge  of  the  world  for  the  rectitude  of  our  intentions,  do,  in 
the  name,  and  by  the  authority  of  the  people  in  these  colonies, 
solemnly  publish  and  declare,  that  these  United  Colonies  are, 
and  of  right  ought  to  be,  free  and  independent  states ;  that 
they  are  absolved  from  all  allegiance  to  the  British  crown; 
that  all  political  connection  between  them  and  the  state  of 
Great  Britain  is,  and  ought  to  be  totally  dissolved ;  and  that, 
as  free  and  independent  states,  they  have  full  power  to  levy 
war,  conclude  peace,  contract  alliances,  establish  commerce, 
and  do  all  other  acts  and  things  which  independent  states  may 
of  right  do.  And  for  the  support  of  this  declaration,  with  a 
firm  reliance  on  the  protection  of  Divine  Providence,  we  mu- 
tually pledge  to  each  other  our  lives,  our  fortunes,  and  our 
Bacred  honour.' 

Mr.  JeiFerson  drew  up  the  paper.  The  original  draft,  as 
brought  by  him  from  his  study  and  submitted  to  the  other 
members  of  the  committee,  with  interlineations  in  the  hand- 
writing of  Doctor  Franklin,  and  others  in  that  of  Mr.  Adams, 
was  in  Jefferson^s  possession  at  the  time  of  his  death.  The 
merit  of  this  paper  ^s  Mr.  Jefferson's.  Some  changes  were 
made  in  it  at  the  suggestion  of  other  members  of  the  com- 
mittee, and  others  by  Congress  while  it  was  under  discussion. 
But  none  of  them  altered  the  tone,  the  frame,  the  arrange- 
ment and  the  general  character  of  the  instrument.  As  a 
composition,  the  declaration  is  Mr.  Jefferson's.  It  is  the 
production  of  his  mind,  and  the  high  honor  of  it  belongs  to 
him  clearly  and  absolutely. 

In  an  assembly  of  most  able  and  distinguished  men,  Thomas 
Jefferson  had  the  high  honour  of  being  the  selected  advocate 
of  this  cause.  *  To  say,'  declared  Mr.  Webster,  *  that  he  per- 
formed his  great  work  well,  would  be  doing  him  injustice. 
To  say  that  he  did  it  excellently  well,  admirably  well,  would 


What  places  are  named  in  commemo- 1    pendence  ? 

ration  of  this  event  ?  What  does  Mr.  Webster  say  of  tluB 

Wh9  wrot^  <h«  :pec]^ratioii  of  lade- 1    perfonn4uic«  t 


REMARKS  ON  THE  DECLARATION. 


215 


be  inadequate  and  halting  praise.  Let  ns  rather  say,  that 
he  so  discharged  the  duty  assigned  him,  that  all  Americans 
may  well  rejoice  that  the  work  of  drawing  the  title  deed  of 
their  liberties  devolved  on  his  hands/ 

One  point  of  objection,  which  has  been  urged  against  the 
dechiration,  is  thus  cleared  up  by  Mr.  Webster.* 

*  With  all  its  merits,  there  are  those  who  have  thought  that 
there  was  one  thing  in  the  declaration  to  be  regretted ;  and 
that  is,  the  asperity  and  apparent  anger  with  which  it  speaks 
of  the  person  of  the  king  ;  the  industrious  ability  with  which 
it  accumulates  and  charges  upon  him  all  the  injuries  which 
the  colonies  had  suffered  from  the  mother  country.  Possibly 
some  degree  of  injustice,  now  or  hereafter,  at  home  \r  abroad, 
may  be  done  to  the  character  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  if  this  part  of 
the  declaration  be  not  placed  in  its  pr'^per  light.  Anger  or 
resentment,  certainly,  much  less  personal  reproach  and  invec- 
tive, could  not  properly  find  place  in  a  composition  of  such 
High  dignity,  and  of  such  lofty  and  permanent  character. 

*A  single  reflection  on  the  original  ground  of  dispute  be- 
ween  England  and  the  colonies  is  sufficient  to  remove  any 
mfavourable  impression,  in  this  respect. 

*  The  inhabitants  of  all  the  colonies,  while  colonies,  admit- 
ied  themselves  bound  by  their  allegiance  to  the  king ;  but 
^hey  disclaimed,  altogether,  the  authority  of  parliament;  hold- 
mg  themselves,  in  this  respect,  to  resemble  the  condition  of 
Scotland  and  Ireland,  before  the  respective  unions  of  those 
kingdoms  with  England,  when  they  acknowledged  allegiance 
to  the  same  king,  but  each  had  its  separate  legislature.  The 
tie,  therefore,  which  our  revolution  was  to  break,  did  not 
subsist  between  us  and  the  British  parliament,  or  between  us 
and  the  British  government,  in  the  aggregate  ;  but  directly 
between  us  and  the  king  himself.  The  colonies  had  never 
admitted  themselves  subject  to  parliament.  That  was  pre- 
cisely the  point  of  the  original  controversy.  They  had  uni- 
formly denied  that  parliament  had  authority  to  make  laws  for 
them.  There  was,  therefore,  no  subjection  to  parliament  to 
be  thrown  off'.f    But  allegiance  to  the  king  did  exist,  and  had 


What  objection  has  been  made  to  this  I  How  is  it  refuted  fey  Mr.  Webster  ? 
celebrated  state  paper  ?  | 


* '  Discourse  in  commemoration  of  the  Lives  and  Services  of  John  Adams 
and  Thomas  Jefferson.' 

t'This  question,  of  the  power  of  parliament  over  the  colonies,  was  dis- 
cussed with  singular  ability  by  Governor  Hutchinson  on  the  one  side»  and 
the  house  of  representatives  of  Massachusetts  on  the  other,  in  1773.  TI^P 


QFOROE  III. 


been  iiniforrtily  icknowledged ;  and  do^vn  to  1775,  the  most 

solemn  assurances  had  been  given  that  it  was  not  intended  to 
break  that  allegiance,  or  to  throw  it  oiT.  Therefore,  as  the 
direct  object,  and  only  efFect  of  the  declaration,  according  to 
uie  principles  on  which  the  controversy  had  been  maintained, 
on  our  part,  was  to  sever  the  tie  of  allegiance  which  bound 
as  to  the  king,  it  was  properly  and  necessarily  founded  on 
acts  of  the  crown  itself,  as  its  justifying  causes.  Parliament 
is  not  so  much  as  mentioned  in  the  whole  instrument.  When 
cdious  and  oppressive  acts  are  referred  to,  it  is  done  by 
charging  the  king  with  confederating  with  others,  **  in  pre- 
tended acts  of  legislation  ;"  the  object  being,  constantly,  to 
hold  the  king  himself  directly  responsible  for  those  measures 
which  were  the  grounds  of  separation.  Even  the  precedent 
of  the  English  revolution  was  not  overlooked,  and,  in  this 
case,  as  well  as  in  that,  occasion  was  found  to  say  that  the 
king  had  abdicated  the  government.  Consistency  with  the 
principles  upon  which  resistance  began,  and  with  all  the  pre- 
vious state  papers  issued  by  congress,  required  that  the  de- 
claration should  be  bottomed  on  the  misgovernment  of  the 
king;  and,  therefore,  it  was  properly  framed  with  that  aim, 
and  to  that  end.  The  king  was  known,  indeed,  to  have  acted, 
as  in  other  cases,  by  his  ministers,  and  with  his  parliament; 
but,  as  our  ancestors  had  never  admitted  themselves  subject 
either  to  ministers  or  to  parliament,  there  were  no  reasons  to 
be  given  for  now  refusing  obedience  to  their  authority.  This 
clear  and  obvious  necessity  of  founding  the  declaration  on  the 
misconduct  of  the  king  himself,  gives  to  that  instrument  ita 
personal  application,  and  its  character  of  direct  and  pointed 
accusation.' 

It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  the  word  tyrant  applied  to 
George  III,  in  the  declaration,  has  been  fully  Justified  by 
recent  disclosures.  Letters  of  the  king  have  been  lately  pub- 
lished, which  clearly  prove  that  he  himself  was  the  most 
determined  and  inflexible  supporter  of  the  tyrannical  measures 
directed  against  the  liberties  of  the  colonies.    That  the  sud- 

What  is  said  of  George  III  ? 

argument  of  the  house  is  in  the  form  of  an  answer  to  the  governor's  message 
and  was  reported  by  Mr.  Samuel  Adams,  Mr.  Hancock,  Mr.  Hawley,  Mr 
Bowers,  Mr.  Hobson,  Mr.  Foster,  Mr.  Phillips,  -ind  Mr.  Thayer.  As  the 
power  of  the  parliament  had  been  acknowledged,  so  far,  at  least,  as  to  affect 
us  bj  laws  of  trade,  it  was  not  easy  to  settle  the  line  of  distinction.  It  wag 
*hought,  however,  to  be  very  clear,  that  the  charters  of  the  colonies  Dad 
exempted  them  from  the  general  legislation  of  the  Bri^^sb  ^aiUameiit.  S#0 
iVfassaphusetts  State  Papers,  p.  351,* 


AftmVAL  OB  THE  BRITISH  AT  N*:W   ifORK.  211 


dill,  and  otherwise  unaccountable  changes  in  the  ministry 
mrere  all  owing  to  his  personal  influence,  and  all  directed  to 
this  point;  and  he  declared  to  John  Adams,  the  first  ambassa- 
dor from  the  United  States  to  England,  that  he  was  the  last 
fltian  in  his  dominions  to  consent  to  the  recognition  of  their 
Independence.  So  true  it  is,  that  a  mild  personal  character 
may  be  consistent  with  the  sternest  principles  of  political 
tyranny. 

After  the  declaration  of  independence,  the  Americans  had 
to  contend  with  important  difficulties  in  supporting  their  pre- 
tensions.   The  great  contest  was  but  just  begun. 

It  has  already  been  stated  that,  at  the  close  of  the  siege  of 
Boston,  General  Howe  proceeded  to  Halifax,  and  General 
Washington  towards  New  York,  where  he  soon  arrived  with 
his  army.  In  that  city  the  British  interest  had  been  more 
powerful  than  in  any  other  place  in  the  provinces,  and  the 
struggle  between  the  friends  of  British  domination,  and  of 
American  freedom,  had  been  more  doubtful  than  in  any  other 
quarter.  But,  by  superior  numbers,  and  more  daring  activity, 
the  adherents  of  congress  had  gained  the  ascendancy.  On  his 
arrival  in  the  city,  Washington  endeavoured  to  put  it  in  a 
state  of  defence ;  and  as  the  British,  by  means  of  their  fleet, 
had  the  command  of  the  waters,  he  attempted  to  obstruct  the 
navigation  of  the  East  and  North  Rivers,  by  sinking  vessels 
in  the  channels.  He  also  raised  fortifications  at  New  York, 
and  on  Long  Island ;  and  made  every  preparation  in  his 
power  for  giving  the  British  army  a  vigorous  reception. 

General  Howe  remained  some  time  at  Halifax  ;  but,  after 
the  recovery  of  his  troops  from  the  fatigue  and  sickness  occa- 
sioned by  the  siege  of  Boston,  he  embarked,  sailed  to  the 
southward,  and  on  the  2d  of  July  landed,  without  opposition, 
on  Staten  Island,  which  lies  on  the  coast  of  New  Jersey,  and 
is  separated  from  Long  Island  by  a  channel  called  the  iViar- 
rows.  His  army  consisted  of  9,000  men,  and  his  brother. 
Lord  Howe,  commander  of  the  British  fleet,  who  had  touched 
fit  Halifax,  expecting  to  find  him  there,  arrived  soon  after- 
wards, with  a  reinforcement  of  about  20,000  men  from  Bri^ 
tain.  Thus  General  Howe  had  the  command  of  nearly  30,00(1 
troops,  for  the  purpose  of  subjugating  the  American  colonies, 
a  more  formidable  force  than  had  ever  before  visited  these 
shores.    General  Washington  was  ill  prepared  to  meet  such 

Wliat  city  had  Washington  to  defend,  When  did  General  Howe  land  oo 

after  lelieving  Boston  ?  Staten  Island  ? 

How  did  he  prepare  for  the  reception  What  was  his  force  ? 

#f  tb«  British  i  Who  commanded  the  flati  f 

19 


218 


CONDITION  OF  THE  ARMIES. 


a  powerful  army.  His  force  consisted  of  about  0,000  men, 
many  of  whom  were  ill  armed,  and  about  2,000  without  any 
arms  at  all ;  but  new  levies  were  daily  coming  in. 

Soon  after  his  appearance  off  the  coast.  Lord  Howe  sent 
a  letter  to  the  American  commander  in  chief,  addressed  to 
♦  George  Washington,  Esq. but  the  general  refused  to  open 
it,  as  the  address  was  not  in  a  style  corresponding  to  the  dig- 
nity of  the  situation  which  he  held.  Another  letter  was  sent 
to  '  George  Washington,  <fec.  &c.  (fee. ;'  but  this  also  wa» 
refused.  *  It  did  not  acknowledge,'  he  said,  '  the  public  cha- 
racter with  which  he  was  invested  by  the  congress,  and  in  no 
other  character  would  he  have  any  intercourse  with  his  lord- 
ehip.' 

The  communication,  however,  to  which  these  letters  gave 
rise,  afforded  the  British  an  opportunity  of  exerting  themselves 
in  order  to  effect  a  reconciliation.  With  this  view,  the  Ame- 
rican general  was  informed  that  Lord  Howe  was  invested 
with  full  powers  to  receive  the  submission  of  the  colonists, 
and  to  reinstate  them  in  the  favour  of  their  lawful  sovereign ; 
but  Washington  declared  that  these  powers  appeared  to  con- 
sist in  nothing  but  granting  pardons  ;  and  that  as  the  provin- 
cials, in  defending  their  rights,  had  been  guilty  of  no  crime, 
ihey  required  no  forgiveness. 

Both  sides,  therefore,  prepared  to  terminate  their  disputes 
by  an  appeal  to  arms  ;  and  hostilities  began  as  soon  as  the 
English  troops  were  collected  at  their  appointed  stations. 
The  character  of  the  forces  which  were  now  about  to  engage 
was  very  different.  The  British  troops  were  numerous, 
regularly  disciplined,  and  accustomed  to  military  operations  , 
while  the  Americans  were  inferior  in  numbers,  and  inexpe- 
rienced, newly  embodied,  and  not  well  provided  with  artil 
lery  and  ammunition. 

Washington  marked  the  condition  of  his  army  with  very 
great  concern.  It  amounted  to  less  than  18,000  effective 
men  ;  while  that  of  the  English  was  nearly  30,000  strong. 
As  the  American  government  had  no  established  revenue, 
and  as  the  sources  of  their  commerce  were  completely  dried 
up,  the  difficulties  which  the  general  had  to  encounter  were 
fiuch  as  no  human  ability  and  perseverance  could  easily  sur 


What  was  Washington's  force  ? 
Relate  the  affair  of  the  letter. 
Tkie  affair  of  the  pardons. 
What  did  both  sides  now  prepare 
tar. 


What  was  the  lelative  character  of 
the  British  and  of  the  American 

troops  ? 

What  difficulti<3s  nad  Washii)|;toii  U 
encounter  f 


DfiSC£llT  UPON  LONG  ISLAND. 


219 


mount.  *  These  things,'  said  he  in  a  letter  to  congress,  are 
melancholy,  but  they  are  nevertheless  true.  I  hope  fcr  betr 
ter.  Under  every  disadvantage,  my  utmost  exertions  shall 
be  employed  to  bring  about  the  great  end  we  have  in  view  ^ 
and,  so  far  as  I  can  judge  from  the  professions  and  apparent 
disposition  of  my  troops,  I  shall  have  their  support.  The 
superiority  of  the  enemy,  and  the  expected  attack,  do  not 
deem  to  have  depressed  their  spirits.  These  considerations 
lead  me  to  think  that,  though  the  appeal  to  arms  may  not 
terminate  so  happily  as  I  could  wish,  yet  the  ^nemy  will  not 
fiiicceed  in  their  views  without  considerable  loss.  Any  ad 
vantage  they  may  gain,  I  trust,  will  cost  them  dear.' 

Notwithstanding  the  difficulties  which  Washington  had  to 
encounter,  he  maintained  his  positions,  and  availed  himself 
of  every  circumstance  which  might  encourage  his  troops  or 
improve  their  discipline.  He  animated  them  by  his  exhorta- 
tions and  example ;  he  told  them  that  the  day  was  approach- 
ing which  would  decide  whether  the  American  people  were 
to  be  freemen  or  slaves  ;  and  he  informed  them  that  the  hap 
piness  of  myriads,  yet  unborn,  depended  on  their  courage 
and  conduct.  He  promised  rewards  to  those  who  should 
distinguish  themselves  by  acts  of  extraordinary  bravery,  and 
threatened  such  as  were  doubtful  or  dilatory  with  the  utmos* 
severity  of  punishment,  if  they  should  desert  the  cause  in 
which  they  were  engaged.  The  time  was  at  hand  when  the 
effect  of  these  exhortations  was  to  be  ascertained. 

In  the  month  of  August,  1776,  the  English  made  a  descent 
upon  Long  Island,  with  40  pieces  of  cannon,  and  under  covei 
of  their  ships.  On  a  peninsula,  formed  by  the  East  River 
and  Gowanus  Cove,  and  constituting  a  part  of  the  same 
island,  was  General  Putnam,  strongly  fortified,  and  awaiting 
with  his  detachment  the  approach  of  the  king's  troops.  Be- 
tween the  armies  was  a  range  of  hills,  the  principal  pass 
through  which  was  near  a  place  called  Flatbush.  At  this 
place  the  Hessians,  forming  the  centre  of  the  royalists,  took 
their  station.  The  left  wing,  under  the  orders  of  General 
Grant,  was  close  upon  the  shore ;  and  the  right,  commanded 
by  General  Clinton,  Earl  Percy,  and  Lord  Cornwallis,  and 
comprehending  the  chief  strength  of  the  British  forces,  ap 


What  were  his  expressions  in  writ- 
ing to  congress  ? 

What  was  the  substa  ice  of  his  appeal 
to  Vne  tramps  ? 

What  movement  was  mide  by  the 
Britifk  in  August  ? 


Where  was  General  Putnam  tti^ 
tioned  ? 

Where  were  the  Het sians  posted  f 
The  British  left  aiid  right  wings 


220 


DEFEAT  ON  LONG  ISLAND. 


Droaclied  the  opposite  coast  of  Flat  Land.  General  Putnam 
nad  directed  that  all  the  passes  should  be  secured  by  strong 
detachments  of  the  provincial  troops.  The  orders  to  this 
purpose,  though  not  disobeyed,  were  not  complied  with  to 
the  extent  that  the  general  required  ;  and  one  road  through 
the  hills,  of  the  utmost  importance,  was  entirely  neglected — 
an  oversight  which  was  speedily  communicated  to  the  Bri 
tish,  and  which  they  were  too  wise  not  to  improve  to  theii 
advantage. 

On  the  evening  of  the  26th,  Generals  Howe  and  Clinton 
drew  off  the  right  wing  of  the  English  army,  in  order  to  gain 
the  heights.  Nearly  about  day-break,  he  reached  the  pass 
undiscovered  by  the  Americans,  and  immediately  took  pos- 
session of  it.  The  detachment  under  Lord  Percy  followed  i 
and  when  the  day  appeared,  the  royalists  advanced  into  the 
level  country  between  the  hills  and  Brooklyn,  a  village  situ- 
ated on  the  peninsula  where  the  Americans  were  encamped. 

Without  loss  of  time,  Howe  and  Clinton  fell  upon  the  rear 
of  the  provincials,  and  the  Hessians  attacking  them  in  front 
at  the  same  instant,  neither  valour  nor  skill  could  save  them 
from  a  defeat.  Inspirited,  however,  by  their  generals,  and  by 
the  presence  of  Washington,  they  continued  the  engagement 
for  a  while,  and  fought  with  the  bravery  of  men  whom  the 
love  of  freedom  animates  to  deeds  of  heroism  ;  but,  pressed 
by  superior  numbers,  and  thrown  into  confusion,  they  gave 
way  on  every  side,  and  fled  precipitately  to  the  woods. 

Nor  was  this  the  only  part  of  the  army  which  suffered  ; 
the  right  wing,  which  opposed  General  Grant,  experienced  a 
similar  fate.  They  fought  bravely,  and  maintained  their 
ground  till  informed  of  the  defeat  of  the  left  wing,  when  they 
retreated  in  confusion;  and,  in  order  to  avoid  the  enemy,  who 
were  far  advanced  on  their  rear,  the  greater  part  of  ihem 
attempted  *o  escape  along  the  dike  of  a  mill-dam,  and  through 
a  marsh,  where  many  of  them  perished  ;  but  a  remnant  re- 
gained the  camp.  Of  a  regiment  consisting  of  young  gentle 
men  from  Maryland,  the  greater  part  was  cut  in  pieces,  afid 
aot  one  of  those  who  survived  escaped  without  a  wound. 

The  British  soldiers  behaved  with  their  usual  courage,  and 
h  was  with  difficulty  that  they  were  restrained  from  instantly 


What  orders  had  Putnam  given  ? 
What  wari  the  ©Dnsequence  of  their 

being  negiectel  ? 
What  was  done  on  the  evening  of 

th2  26th  f 
What  was  done  oy  the  realists  at 

Qty.  break  ? 


What  was  effected  by  Howe  and 
Clinton  ? 

What  was  the  fate  of  the  Americui 
right  wing  ? 

What  is  said  of  a  Maryland  regi- 
ment ? 

What  if  laid  of  the  BHtith  loUisn 


RETREAT  FROM  LONG  ISLAND. 


ftltackiiig  the  American  camp  ;  but  General  Howe,  who 
way  s  exercised  a  laudable  care  of  the  lives  of  his  men,  chbcked 
their  impetuosity  ;  believing  that,  without  any  great  loss,  he 
could  compel  the  Americans  to  surrender,  or  to  evacuate  thcii 
camp 

On  that  disastrous  day,  the  Americans  lost  2,000  men  La 
killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners  ;  among  the  latter  were  Ge« 
nerals  Sullivan,  Woodhull,  and  Lord  Stirling.  Tliey  also 
lost  6  pieces  of  artillery.  The  acknowledged  British  loss 
was  21  officers,  and  346  privates,  killed,  wounded,  and  taken. 

A  retreat  from  Long  Island  now  became  absolutely  neces- 
sary ;  and  it  was  effected  on  the  30th  of  August,  without  the 
OSS  of  a  man. 

After  the  evacuation  of  Long  Island  by  the  Americans,  pro- 
posals for  an  accommodation  were  made  by  Lord  Howe. 
But  as  his  lordship  was  not  authorised  to  treat  with  congress 
as  a  legal  assembly,  he  invited  such  of  its  members  as  were 
desirous  of  peace  to  a  private  conference.  To  this  invitation 
the  congress  replied  that,  as  they  were  the  representatives  of 
the  free  and  independent  states  of  America,  it  was  not  possi- 
ble for  them  to  send  any  of  their  number  to  confer  with  the 
English  commanders,  in  their  individual  capacity  ;  but  that, 
as  it  was  exceedingly  to  be  wished  that  an  accommodation 
should  take  place,  on  reasonable  terms,  they  would  direct  a 
committee  to  receive  the  proposals  of  the  British  government. 
Accordingly,  they  nominated  for  this  purpose.  Dr.  Franklin 
Mr.  John  Adams,  and  Mr.  Rutledge,  all  zealous  and  faithful 
to  the  cause  of  liberty.  But,  notwithstanding  the  disposition 
of  Lord  Howe,  which  was  certainly  towards  peace,  and  the 
late  misfortunes  of  the  provincial  troops,  the  conference  was 
Itogether  ineffectual ;  his  lordship  would  not  acknowledge 
he  deputies  as  the  commissioners  of  a  free  people  ;  and  thj 
deputies  wound  not  treat  with  him  on  any  other  condition 
It  was  resolved,  therefore,  on  both  sides,  to  prosecute  the  war 
with  all  their  vigour  and  their  utmost  resources. 

This  conference,  although  ineffectual  with  respect  to  the 
object  immediately  in  view,  was  of  considerable  service  to  the 
Americans.    It  arrested  General  Howe  in  the  career  of  vio- 


Of  General  Howe  ? 

What  loss  did  the  Americans  sustain? 

The  British  ? 

W^hen  did  the  Americans  retreat 

from  Long  Inland  ? 
Who  now  proposed  a  conference  ? 
WhsiJ^yras  the  reply  of  cpngress  ? 


Who  composed  the  committee  of  con- 
gress ? 

What  was  its  result  ? 

What  was  then  resolved  on  both  sides  ? 

What  were  the  good  effects  of  tbif 
conference  ? 


19» 


222 


Washington's  plan  ov  operations. 


lory,  and  suspended,  during  its  progress,  the  operations  of  the 
campaign.  It  afforded  a  pause  to  the  dispirited  Americanf ; 
and  gave  them  time  to  rally  their  drooping  spirits  ;  a  matter, 

their  circumstances,  of  no  slight  importance. 

The  provincial  army,  under  the  command  of  Washington, 
was  now  stationed  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York.  They  had 
erected  many  batteries  near  the  place,  and  from  these  they 
kept  up  an  incessant  fire  on  the  British  ships.  Between  the 
armies  lay  the  East  River,  which  the  royalists,  for  some  days, 
had  manifested  a  desire  to  cross.  Accordingly,  they  landed 
on  the  opposite  shore,  at  Kipp's  Bay,  nearly  three  miles  dis- 
tant from  New  York  ;  and  marching  rapidly  towards  the  city, 
they  obliged  the  Americans  to  abandon  their  works  and  re- 
treat. Leaving  the  town  itself,  and  their  baggage,  provisions 
and  military  stores,  in  possession  of  the  British,  the  Americans 
withdrew  to  the  northern  part  of  the  island,  where  the  chief 
strength  of  their  forces  was  collected.  Here  Washington 
determined  to  wait  the  approach  of  the  king's  troops  ;  and  in 
the  mean  time  he  used  every  method  in  his  power  to  restore 
the  courage  of  his  soldiers,  and  elevate  their  fallen  hopes. 
He  had  long  ago  formed  that  plan  of  operations  which  is 
usually  successful  against  an  invading  army  ;  though  with 
the  intention  of  deviating  from  it  as  circumstances  might 
require.  It  was  his  design,  at  present,  not  to  risk  a  general 
engagement,  but  to  harass  the  English  by  continual  skirmishes, 
by  cutting  off  their  supplies  and  exhausting  their  patience. 
The  object  of  the  British  general  was  exactly  the  contrary  of 
this ;  his  safety,  as  well  as  his  success,  lay  in  » ringing  the 
Americans  speedily  to  action,  and  in  terminating  the  war,  if 
possible,  by  a  single  blow. 

The  fortune  of  the  royalists  was  now  predominant.  In 
almost  every  attack  the  superiority  of  regular  discipline  had 
been  shown.  Washington  was  forced  to  quit  his  strong  posi- 
tion at  King's  Bridge,  on  New  York  island,  and  saved  his 
army  by  retiring  towards  the  main  land  of  Connecticut.  He 
was  followed  by  the  English  general  as  soon  as  the  troops 
could  be  landed,  and  the  proper  reinforcements  had  ar- 
rived. 

After  some  ineffectual  skirmishing,  both  parties  met  at  a 
place  called  the  White  Plains  ;  the  royalists  began  the  assault 
and  made  such  an  impression  on  the  American  lines,  thai 


What  is  said  of  the  provincial  army  ?    What  was    Washington's   plan  of 

Of  the  royalists  ?  operations  ? 

Whither  did  the  Ameiicans  retreat  ?    Whither  was  he  compeHed  to  retiie 


RETREAT  tilROV&U  tHfe  j£RSEY$. 


223 


iVasliington  was  c.ompelled  to  retreat.  He  withdrew  in  good 
order,  and  occupied  an  advantageous  post  behind  the  river 
Croton. 

Howe,  finding  himself  unable  to  bring  on  a  general  action, 
relinquished  the  pursuit,  and  employed  his  troops  m  reducing 
and  taking  possession  of  Forts  Washington  and  Lee,  the  first 
on  the  island  of  New  York,  not  far  from  King's  Bridge ;  and 
the  other  on  the  Jersey  side  of  North  River,  nearly  opposite 
the  former.  This  he  accomplished  in  November ,  and  th« 
Americans  were  thus  driven,  with  considerable  loss,  from  New 
York  island,  and  from  the  Jersey  bank  of  the  North  River. 

On  the  fall  of  Forts  Washington  and  Lee,  General  Wash- 
ington with  his  little  army  consisting  of  about  3,000  men,  ill 
armed,  worse  clad,  and  almost  without  tents,  blankets,  or 
utensils  for  cooking  their  provisions,  commenced  a  disastrous 
retreat  through  the  Jerseys.  He  first  retired  behind  the 
Hackensack  ;  thence  to  Newark,  and  thence  to  Brunswick. 
While  there,  the  term  of  service  of  many  of  his  troops  expired, 
and  he  had  the  mortification  to  see  them  abandon  him.  From 
Brunswick  he  retreated  to  Trentnn ;  and  there  received  a  re- 
inforcement of  about  2,000  men  from  Pennsylvania.  He  now 
collected  and  guarded  all  the  boat««  on  the  Delaware,  and  sent 
his  sick  and  wounded,  and  his  heavy  artillery  and  baggage 
across  the  Delaware.  After  remaining  at  Trenton  some  time, 
and  even  advancing  towards  Princeton,  he  leart  that  Earl 
Cornwallis,  strongly  reinforced,  wa*»  marching  against  him  ; 
and  on  the  8th  of  December,  he  pas^f d  the  Delaware  at  Tren- 
ton ferry,  the  van  of  the  British  array  appearing,  just  as  his 
rear-guard  had  crossed. 

While  retreating  through  the  Jerseys,  Washington  had 
earnestly  desired  General  Lee,  who  had  been  left  in  command 
of  the  division  of  the  army  at  North  Castle,  to  hasten  his 
march  to  the  Delaware  and  join  the  main  army.  But  for 
reasons  of  his  own,  Lee  was  in  no  haste  to  obey,  and  by  his 
carelessness  in  getting  separated  from  the  main  body  of  hig 
troops  he  was  actually  made  prisoner,  and  put  in  close  con- 
finement by  the  English.  General  Sullivan,  who  succeeded 
in  the  command,  immediately  joined  Washington,  and  thus 


What  was  the  result  of  the  battle  of 

White  Plains  ? 
How  did  General  Howe  employ  his 

troops  ? 

In  what  condition  was  the  American 
army  now  compelled  to  retreat 
throfif  h  the  Jerseys  f 


What  happened  at  Brunswick  ^ 
Where  did  Washington  croi^'  *he 

Delaware  f 
What  is  said  of  General  Lee  ? 
Of  General  SulliTan  ? 


224  W ASHING toN  APPOINTED  DA^TATOft. 


increisecl  his  force  to  nearly  7,000.  Still  his  men  were  daily 
»eaving  him,  and  of  those  who  remained,  the  greater  part  were 
raw  troops,  ill  provided,  and  all  of  them  dispirited  by  defeat 

General  Howe,  with  an  army  of  27,000  men,  eomplstely 
armed  and  disciplined,  well  provided,  and  flushed  with  suc- 
cess, lay  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Delaware,  stretching  his 
encampments  from  Brunswick  to  the  neighbourhood  of  Phila- 
delphia, and  was  expected  to  cross  as  soon  as  the  river  should 
be  frozen  over. 

To  the  Americans  this  was  the  most  gloomy  period  of  the 
contest ;  and  their  affairs  appeared  in  a  very  hopeless  condi- 
tion. To  deepen  the  gloom  of  this  period,  so  alarming  to  all 
true  patriots,  an  expedition,  under  Clinton  and  Sir  Peter 
Parker,  was  sent  to  Rhode  Island  and  took  possession  of  it, 
without  resistance,  on  the  very  day  that  Washington  crossed 
the  Delaware. 

On  the  12th  of  December  congress  quitted  Philadelphia, 
and  retired  to  Baltimore.  On  the  20th  they  conferred  on 
General  Washington  full  and  ample  power  to  raise  forces  and 
appoint  officers ;  to  apply  to  any  of  the  states  for  the  aid  of 
their  militia  ;  to  form  magazines  of  provisions  at  his  pleasure  ; 
to  displace  all  oflicers  under  the  rank  of  brigadier  general,  and 
fill  the  vacancies  thus  created  by  oflficers  of  his  own  choice; 
10  take  for  the  use  of  the  army  whatever  he  might  want,  if  the 
inhabitants  would  not  sell  it,  allowing  a  reasonable  price  for 
the  same  ;  and  to  arrest  and  confine  all  persons  who  should 
refuse  to  take  the  continental  currency.  These  powers,  which 
have  been  truly  denominated  dictatorial,  were  vested  in  the 
commander  in  chief  for  six  months,  unless  sooner  determined 
by  congress. 

The  conferring  of  such  ample  powers  on  Washington  is  at 
once  an  evidence  of  the  desperate  condition  of  public  afl^airs  at 
this  time,  and  of  the  perfect  confidence  reposed  in  him  by  hi» 
countrymen. 

Howe,  who  was  well  aware  of  the  dispirited  state  of  the 
colonists  generally,  now  put  forth  a  proclamation  ofl^ering 
pardons  to  all  who  would  desert  the  American  cause.  Many 
men  of  property,  who  were  desirous  of  saving  it  from  confisca- 
tion, embraced  the  offer  ;  and  a  few  timid  spirits  among  other 
classes  of  society  followed  their  example  ;  among  the  rest,  to 


Of  General  Howe  and  his  army  ? 
Of  the  Americans  and  their  condi- 
tion ? 

What  island  was  taken  by  the  British  ? 
Vtrbitner  did  congress  retire  ? 


What  powers  did  congress  confer  on 

Genera)  Washington  ? 
What  was  done  by  General  How0  ? 
What  was  the  effect  of  his  proclaaa- 

tion' 


BATTLE  OF  TRENTON. 


225 


their  eternal  disgrace,  two  who  had  been  members  of  con- 
gress, Galloway  an<l  Allen. 

It  was  a  time  of  profound  discouragement  for  all  patriots, 
The  weak  everywhere  began  to  waver.  New  York  City, 
which  had  been  so  full  of  ardor  for  the  cause  of  indepen- 
dence was  now  entirely  British  in  feelings  from  the  presence 
of  the  troops.  If  Philadelphia  fell  into  their  hands,  a 
similar  result  might  be  expected  ;  and  the  influence  of  New 
York,  New  Jersey,  and  Pennsylvania  would  be  paralyzed. 
General  Washington  felt  that  a  blow  must  be  struck  to 
relieve  Philadelphia  from  the  danger  which  menaced  it,  and 
to  weaken  the  enemy's  power  in  New  Jersey. 

This  was  no  easy  task,  and  with  the  petty  force  at  his  com- 
mand seemed  utterly  hopeless.  But  he  at  once  proceeded  to 
plan  a  movement  which  British  remissness  encouraged. 

Still  in  this  alarming  posture  of  affairs,  when  an  enemy 
oear  30,000  strong  was  separated  only  by  a  river,  expected 
every  day  to  freeze,  from  the  main  army  of  the  republic  con- 
sisting of  about  one-fifth  that  number,  the  American  leaders 
maintained  an  erect  posture,  and  their  noble  commander  in 
chief  dared  to  meditate  an  assault  on  the  lately  victorious 
British. 

He  perceived  the  security  of  Howe,  and  the  advantage 
which  the  scattered  cantonment  of  his  troops  presented  to  the 
American  arms.  *  Now,'  exclaimed  he,  on  being  informed 
of  the  widely  dispersed  state  of  the  British  troops,  *  now  in 
the  time  to  clip  their  wings,  when  they  are  so  spread and, 
accordingly  resolving  to  give  them  an  unexpected  blow,  he 
planned  an  attack  on  the  Hessians  at  Trenton. 

On  the  evening  of  the  25th  of  December,  he  crossed  the 
Delaware,  marched  all  night,  attacked  the  Hessians,  who  had 
not  the  slightest  intelligence  of  his  approach,  and  routed  them 
with  great  slaughter.  Colonel  Rawle,  who  commanded  the 
•loyalists  in  that  quarter,  did  every  thing  which  could  be  ex- 
pected from  a  brave  and  experienced  officer ;  but  the  attack 
was  sudden  and  impetuous  ;  and  it  was  directed  by  Wash- 
ington himself.  The  Hessians  gave  way  on  all  sides  ;  their 
artillery  was  seized,  and  one  thousand  of  their  best  troops 
remained  prisoners  of  war.  Washington  recrossed  to  his 
camp  with  the  loss  of  but  nine  of  his  men. 

Some  of  the  colonial  reinforcements  having  now  arrived 


What  were  the  condition  and  force  of  |  What  remark  did  he  make  ? 

the  two  armies  ?  |  Describe  the  battle  of  Trentop 

What  did  Washin^oo  design?  ^Vh^X  was  its  result  f 


226 


BATTLE  OF  PRINCETON 


the  provincial  army  was  not  only  increased  in  numbers,  bui 
improved  in  courag-e  and  zeal.  Emboldened  by  his  success, 
Waslilngton  resolved  lo  leave  Philadelphia,  and  make  an- 
other attempt  against  the  British  forces.  At  the  beginning 
of  the  year,  he  again  crossed  the  Delaware,  and  marched  to 
Trenton. 

An  alarm  had  already  been  spiead  through  the  British  army 
by  the  late  success  and  increased  force  of  Washington's  army 
A  strong  detachment,  under  General  Grant,  marched  to  Prince- 
ton ;  and  Earl  Cornwallis,  who  was  on  the  point  of  sailing 
for  England,  was  ordered  to  leave  New  York,  and  resume 
his  command  in  the  Jerseys. 

On  joining  General  Grant,  Lord  Cornwallis  immediately 
marched  against  Trenton,  where  Washington  was  encamped 
at  the  head  of  about  5,000  men.  On  his  approach,  Wash- 
ington crossed  a  rividet,  named  the  Assumpinck,  and  took 
post  on  some  high  ground,  with  the  rivulet  in  his  front.  On 
the  advance  of  the  British  army,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  2d 
of  January,  1777,  a  smart  cannonade  ensued,  and  continued 
till  night.  Lord  Cornwallis  intending  to  renew  the  attack  next 
morning ;  but,  soon  after  midnight.  General  Washington 
silently  decamped,  leaving  his  fires  burning,  his  sentinels 
advanced,  and  small  parties  to  guard  the  fords  of  the  rivulet, 
and,  by  a  circuitous  route  through  Allentown,  proceeded 
towards  Princeton. 

About  half  way  between  Trenton  and  Princeton  the  Ame- 
ricans encountered  three  regiments,  under  Colonel  Mawhood, 
who  were  advancing  to  join  Cornwallis.  A  battle  ensued,  in 
which  the  British  were  worsted,  and  most  of  them  compelled 
to  retreat  towards  Brunswick.  Washington  pressed  on  to- 
wards Princeton,  where  one  regiment  had  been  left,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  taking  300  of  them  prisoners.  The  rest  escaped 
by  a  precipitate  flight.  The  British  lost  about  100  men 
in  this  afl^air;  the  Americans  less.  But  they  had  to  regret 
the  loss  of  one  of  their  bravest  and  most  valuable  officers, 
General  Mercer.  In  this  action  James  Monroe  was  wounded 
who  subsequently  became  president  of  the  republic. 

Washington  was  still  pressed  by  Cornwallis  with  a  vastly 
superior  force.    He  retreated  towards  Morristown,  and,  on 


What  was  Washington's  next  move- 
ment ? 

What  was  done      the  British  ? 
Describe  the  movement  of  General 

Gf^nt. 
Of  Washington. 

Wh»  took  plawf  Ji^ouary      1777  ? 


On  the  night  succeeding  ? 
On  the  way  to  Princeton  ? 
At  Princeton  ? 

What  officer  fell  in  this  action  ? 
What    distinguished    officer  wii 

wounded  ? 
Whither  did  Washington  retiMl  f 


WASHINGTON  RECONQUERS  THE  TERSEYS. 


221 


crossing  Millstone  river,  broke  down  the  bridge  at  Kingston, 
to  impede  the  progress  of  the  British  ;  and  there  the  pursuit 
ended. 

Both  armies  were  completely  worn  out,  the  one  being  as 
unable  to  pursue  as  the  other  was  to  retreat.  Washington 
took  a  position  at  Morristown,  and  Lord  Cornwallis  reached 
Brunswick,  where  all  was  alarm  and  confusion,  in  conse^ 
quence  of  the  battle  of  Princeton,  and  the  expected  approach 
of  the  Americans. 

At  Morristown,  Washington  now  fixed  his  head  quarters. 
This  place  is  situated  among  hills  of  difficult  access,  with  a 
fine  country  on  the  rear,  from  which  he  could  easily  draw 
supplies  ;  and  he  might  retire  across  the  Delaware,  if  neces- 
sary. Giving  his  troops  little  repose,  he  overran  both  East 
and  West  Jersey,  and  even  made  himself  master  of  the  coast 
opposite  Staten  Island.  With  a  greatly  inferior  army,  by 
judicious  movements,  he  wrested  from  the  British  almost  all 
their  conquests  in  the  Jerseys.  Brunswick  and  Amboy  were 
the  only  posts  which  remained  in  their  hands,  and  even  in 
these  they  were  not  a  little  harassed  and  straitened.  The 
American  detachments  were  in  a  state  <.{  unwearied  activity, 
frequently  surprising  and  cutting  off  the  British  advanced 
guards,  keeping  them  in  continual  alarm  and  melting  down 
their  numbers  by  a  desultory  and  indecisive  warfare.  It  was 
oy  the  operations  of  this  campaign  that  Washington  gained 
for  himself  among  European  tacticians  the  name  of  the  Ame- 
rican Fabius.  By  judiciously  delaying  the  decisive  action, 
he  conquered  a  greatly  superior  force  of  the  enemy. 

Thus  terminated  the  campaign  of  1776,  not  altogether  un- 
favourably to  the  American  interest.  The  whole  country 
south  of  the  Jerseys  was  entirely  freed  from  the  British  troops. 
Rhode  Island,  indeed,  was  wholly  in  their  possession  ;  and 
so  was  the  city  of  New  York  ;  and  while  they  kept  their 
position  in  the  latter  place,  they  were  so  nearly  in  a  state  of 
siege  that  their  situation  was  scarcely  more  comfortable  than 
that  of  General  Gage  and  his  army  had  been  in  Boston  during 
tlie  precedmg  winier. 

Meantime  the  people  throiighbui  the  colonies,  who  had 
watched,  with  breathless  and  terrible  anticipation,  the  unfor 


What  was  the  state  of  both  armies  ? 
Where  did  Washington  fix  his  head 

quarters  ? 
What  was  his  situation  ? 
What  country  did  he  overrun  ? 
What  did  he  wrest  from  the  British  r 


What  name  did  he  gain  by  his  opeta- 

tions  in  this  cam.paign  ? 
What  was  the  state  of  affairs  at  th« 

terminatijn  rf  the  campaigD 

1776  ? 


228 


AUTICLES  OF  CONFEDLKATION 


fvnatc  retreat  of  Washington  through  the  Jerseys  ind  his 
late  critical  situation  at  Philadelphia,  were  now  inspirited  by 
the  news  of  his  brilliant  successes  at  Trenton  and  Princeton, 
and  his  subsequent  expulsion  of  the  enenny  from  all  their 
important  posts  in  the  Jerseys, 


CHAPTER  XXVIL 

CAMPAIGN  OF  1777. 

While  General  Washington  was  actively  employed  in  the 
Jerseys  in  asserting  the  independence  of  America,  congress 
could  not  afford  him  much  assistance ;  but  that  body  was  not 
backward  in  promoting  the  same  cause  by  its  enactments  and 
recommendations.  Hitherto  the  colonies  had  been  united  by 
no  bond  but  that  of  their  common  danger  and  common  love  of 
liberty.  Congress  resolved  to  render  the  terms  of  their  union 
more  definite,  to  ascertain  the  rights  and  duties  of  the  several 
colonies,  and  their  mutual  obligations  towards  each  other. 
A  committee  was  appointed  to  sketch  the  principles  of  the 
union  or  confederation. 

This  committee  presented  a  report  in  thirteen  Articles  of 
Confederation  and  Perpetual  Union  between  the  States,  and 
proposed  that,  instead  of  calling  themselves  the  United  Co- 
lonies they  should  assume  the  name  of  the  United  States 
OF  America  ;  that  each  state  should  retain  its  sovereignty, 
/reedom,  and  independence,  and  every  power,  jurisdiction^ 
and  right  which  was  not  by  the  confederation  expressly  dele- 
gated to  the  United  States  in  congress  assembled,  and  that 
they  should  enter  into  a  firm  league  for  mutual  defence. 
The  articles  also  defined  the  rights  of  the  several  states,  and 
of  their  citizens  ;  the  powers  of  congress  ;  and  the  mode  of 
raising  money  from  the  respective  states  for  the  purposes  of 
general  government  and  defence. 

Txiese  articles  of  confederation  were  adopted,  after  much 
discussion,  and  transm.itted  to  the  several  state  legislatures 
and,  meeting  their  approbation,  were  ratified  by  all  the  dele 
gates  on  the  15th  of  November,  1777.    They  remained  in 

What  was  the  effect  of  Washington's  Wha*  name  was  assumed  to  desi^ 

success  on  the  popular  mind  ?  nate  the  American  nation  ? 

What  were  the  chief  provisions  of  When  were  these  articles  iinalif  r» 

th«  old  Articles  of  Confederation  ?  tified  ? 


AMERICAN  PRIVATHERS. 


229 


force  as  the  constitution  of  the  counti  v,  until  tne  adoption  ot 
the  Federal  Constitution,  in  1788. 

The  only  provision  which  congress  could  at  present  make 
for  the  support  of  the  army,  was  by  the  emission  of  bills  of 
credit  to  pass  at  their  nominal  value  in  all  payments  and 
dealings  throughout  the  states.  This  soon  became  depre- 
ciated, and  the  attempts  to  sustain  it,  by  fixing  the  prices  of 
commodities,  were  abortive,  and  introduced  confusion  and 
misery,  involving  many  families  in  ruin.  It  was  a  serious 
fcut  unavoidable  hinderance  to  all  their  subsequent  operations 
during  the  war. 

In  consequence  of  the  hostilities  with  the  colonies,  the 
British  West  India  Islands  experienced  a  severe  scarcity  of 
provisions.  When  the  fleet  was  about  to  return  to  England, 
an  insurrection  of  the  negroes  of  Jamaica  was  threatened. 
The  military  force  of  th^  island  had  been  weakened  by  draughts 
to  complete  the  army  on  the  continent;  and  the  ships  of  war 
were  detained  to  assist  in  suppressing  the  disturbances  of  the 
negroes.  By  this  delay  the  Atw^ricans  gained  time  for  equip- 
ping privateers,  who  succeeded  in  capturing  many  richly  laden 
ships;  and  were  permitted  to  sell  iheir  prizes  in  the  ports  of 
France,  both  in  Europe  and  the  West  Indies. 

The  British  cabinet  remonstrated  against  this  unfriendly 
conduct  of  France  ;  but  soon  became  satisfied  that  both  France 
and  Spain  were  in  a  state  of  active  preparation  for  war.  Par- 
liament met  on  the  31st  of  October;  and,  notwithstanding 
attempts  were  maae  for  adopting  conciliatory  measures,  it 
was  resolved  to  support  the  ministry  in  a  vigorous  prosecution 
of  the  war. 

Congress  was  not  less  determined  to  maintain  the  indepen 
dence  of  the  United  States  at  all  hazards.  Aware  of  the  covert 
hostility  of  France  towards  Great  Britain,  they  had  already 
sent  commissioners  to  Paris,  for  the  purpose  of  soliciting  a 
loan  of  money,  a  supply  of  munitions  of  war,  and  an  acknow- 
ledgment of  the  independence  of  the  states,  These  commis 
sioners  were  Dr.  Franklin,  Arthur  Lee,  and  Silas  Deane. 
Franklin  was  already  known  to  the  French  as  a  philosophei 
and  statesman ;  and  he  became  very  popular  in  the  capital 


How  long  did  they  remain  in  force  P 
What  is  observed  concerning  the 

continental  paper  currency  ? 
What  had  taken  place  in  the  West 

Indies  ? 

How  did  ♦he  Americans  take  advan- 
tage of  these  events  ? 
What  was  o^rmitted  by  France  ? 


20 


What  IS  saiQ  ot  the  British  cabi- 
net ? 

Of  France  and  Spain  ? 
Of  the  parliament  ? 
Of  congress  ^ 

Who  were  seni  as  commissioners  to 

France  ? 
P  T  what  purposes  ? 


230 


LA  FAYETTE. 


The  commissioners,  -lowever,  were  not  yet  successful  in  all 
their  designs.  Some  arms  were  obtained  privately,  and  the 
sale  of  prizes  taken  by  the  American  privateers,  in  French 
ports,  was  still  connived  at ;  but  no  public  recognition  of  in- 
dependence, nor  open  support  of  the  cause  could  be  obtained 

It  was  at  this  period  that  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette,  a  young 
French  nobleman  of  the  highest  rank  and  an  immense  fortune, 
resolved  to  devote  himself  to  the  cause  of  American  liberty. 
Undismayed  by  the  intelligence  just  received  of  the  evacuation 
of  New  York,  the  loss  of  Fort  Washington,  the  calamitom 
retreat  through  the  Jerseys,  and  the  other  disasters  of  the 
campaign  of  1776,  he  presented  himself  to  Dr.  Franklin,  and 
afterwards  to  the  other  commissioners,  and  offered  his  services 
as  a  volunteer.  They  were  so  candid  as  to  say  that  they 
could  not  in  conscience  urge  him  to  proceed ;  and  assured 
him  that  they  possessed  not  the  means  nor  the  credit  for  pro- 
curing a  vessel  for  his  passage.  '  *'  Then,"  exclaimed  the  gal- 
lant and  generous  youth,  '*  I  will  provide  my  own  and  it  is 
a  literal  fact,  that  when  our  beloved  country  was  too  poor  to 
offer  him  so  much  as  a  passage  to  her  shores,  he  left,  in  his 
tender  youth,  the  bosom  of  home,  of  happiness,  of  wealth, 
and  of  rank,  to  plunge  in  the  dust  and  blood  of  our  inauspi- 
cious struggle.'* 

He  arrived  in  the  spring  of  1777 ;  and  was  cordially  re- 
ceived by  Washington,  and  appointed  by  congress  a  majoi 
general  in  the  army.  His  example  was  followed  by  many 
other  French  officers ;  and  he  was  afterwards  mainly  instru- 
mental in  securing  the  friendship  and  alliance  of  the  French 
government. 

During  the  disastrous  campaign  of  1776,  a  large  number  of 
American  prisoners  were  taken  and  conveyed  to  New  York, 
where  they  were  confined  in  the  most  horrible  of  all  dungeons, 
the  British  prison  ships.  There  they  endured  sufferings 
which  have  seldom  known  a  parallel  in  the  annals  of  cruelty. 
But  they  bore  all  with  the  patience  of  martyrs,  and  the  cou- 
rage of  patriots.  V/hen  offered  liberty  and  promotion,  if  they 
would  join  the  royal  party,  they  spurned  the  offer  with  con- 
tempt; an  l  hundreds  of  them  expired  in  captivity  rather  than 
esert  the  cause  to  which  they  had  devoted  themselves. 


What  did  they  effect  ? 

^rive  an  account  of  La  Fayette  and  his 

generous  devotion  to  the  American 

cause. 


When  did  he  arrive  in  this  country  f 
What  appointment  did  he  receiver 
What  is  said  of  the  prison  shipi  f 
Of  the  American  prisoners  ? 


*  Mr.  Everett's  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Oratijn. 


CONNECTICUT  INVADED. 


231 


At  the  commencemei]t  of  .1777  France,  Holland,  and  Spain 
were  preparing  for  war  with  England,  and  the  British  min- 
istry  felt  that  a  vigorous  effort  must  be  made  to  bring  the 
war  to  a  close  before  half  of  Europe  was  in  arms  against  them. 
Again  soldiers  were  hired  in  Germany  to  go  and  fight  Eng- 
land's battles  in  America,  but  the  number  was  very  incon- 
siderable. Then  Tory  regiments  were  raised  in  America, 
every  inducement  beinor  offered  to  those  who  favoured  the 
royal  cause;  and  finally  orders  were  sent  out  to  America 
from  the  king  that  all  Indian  tribes  friendly  to  the  English 
should  be  encouraged  to  attack  the  frontier  settlements. 
Thus  nothing  was  overlooked,  and  from  every  side  danger 
menaced  the  cause  of  the  United  States. 

The  campaign  of  1777  opened  on  both  sides  with  a  series 
of  rapid  incursions  and  bold  predatory  attacks.  On  the  23d 
of  March,  General  Howe  detached  Colonel  Bird,  with  about 
500  men,  under  convoy  of  a  frigate  and  some  other  armed 
vessels,  to  attack  the  Americans  at  Peekskill,  on  the  North 
river,  about  50  miles  above  New  York.  General  McDougall, 
who  was  posted  there  with  about  250  men,  hearing  of  his 
approach,  set  fire  to  the  stores  and  buildings,  and  retreated. 
Colonel  Bird  landed,  and  after  completing  the  destruction  of 
the  stores,  re-embarked  and  returned  to  New  York. 

On  the  13th  of  April,  Lord  Cornwallis  and  General  Grant, 
with  2,000  men,  attempted  to  surprise  and  cut  off  General 
Lin^o?!:.,  who,  with  500  men,  was  posted  at  Bound  Brook, 
sev^n  miles  from  Brunswick.  Bui  by  a  bold  and  rapid  move- 
ment, Lincoln,  when  almost  surrounded,  forced  his  way  be- 
tween the  British  columns,  and  escaped  with  the  loss  of  60 
men,  three  fieldpieces,  and  some  baggage. 

On  the  25th  of  April,  General  Tryon  left  New  York  with 
2,000  men  and  a  proper  naval  escort,  landed  on  the  Connecti- 
cut shore,  between  Fairfield  and  Norwalk,  and  marched  to 
Danbury,  where  he  succeeded  in  destroying  a  large  quantity 
of  provisions  and  tents,  belonging  to  the  American  army,  and 
but  weakly  guarded.  On  his  return,  however,  he  was  at- 
tacked by  Generals  Sullivan,  Arnold,  and  Wooster,  with  about 
600  troops,  and  200  militia,  and  did  not  effect  his  retreat 
without  a  loss  of  about  400  men,  killed,  wounded,  and  pri- 
soners.   General  Wooster  was  killed  in  the  early  part  of  this 


How  did  the  campaign  of  1777 
open  ? 

What  took  place  on  the  23d  of 
MarcJti? 


On  the  13th  of  April  ? 
On  the  25th  of  April } 
How  did  General  Tryon  fare  on  his 
return  ? 


232 


CAPTURE  OP  GENERAL  PRESCOTT 


affair  He  was  an  able  otTiCer,  and  his  loss  was  much  la- 
mented by  the  Americans. 

These  attacks  of  the  British  were  retaliated  by  Generals 
Stevens  and  Parsons.  The  former  of  whom  assailed  the 
royalists  at  Piscataway,  and  was  only  repulsed  after  a  furious 
engagement,  and  a  heavy  loss  on  the  side  of  the  enemy.  The 
latter  detached  Colonel  Meigs,  from  Guilford  to  Sag  Harboui 
on  Long  Island,  where  he  succeeded  in  burning  a  large  quan 
lily  of  stores  belonging  to  the  British,  and  12  of  their  vessels. 
In  this  affair  the  enemy  lost  96  men,  of  whom  six  were  killed 
and  the  remainder  made  prisoners.  The  Americans  returned 
without  the  loss  of  a  man  to  Guilford. 

Another  exploit  of  the  Americans  deserves  notice  in  thia 
place,  although  it  did  not  happen  till  the  10th  of  July.  Colonel 
Barton,  with  40  men,  officers  and  volunteers,  passed  over,  by 
night,  from  Warwick  Neck  to  Rhode  Island,  and  succeeded 
in  surprising  the  British  general,  Prescott,  in  his  quarters,  in 
bed,  and,  without  giving  him  time  to  dress  himself,  hurried 
him  on  board,  with  one  of  his  aides-de-camp,  and  conveyed 
him  safely  to  Providence.  This  event  was  very  mortifying 
to  General  Prescott,  and  to  the  royal  army ;  but  occasioned 
much  exultation  among  the  Americans.  Hitherto  Genera] 
Howe  had  absolutely  refused  to  release  General  Lee  ;  but  he 
soon  agreed  to  exchange  him  for  General  Prescott ;  and  Ge 
neral  Lee  again  joined  the  American  army. 

Having  noticed  these  desultory  enterprises,  we  now  turn 
to  the  two  main  armies  under  their  respective  commanders  in 
chief. 

In  the  beginning  of  June,  General  Howe,  having  -eceived 
reinforcements  from  England,  left  New  York,  and  passed  into 
the  Jerseys  with  30,000  men.  General  Washington,  to  resis' 
this  powerful  army,  could  muster  no  more  than  7,300  men 
fit  for  duty.  He  occupied  a  good  position  at  Middlebrook, 
about  nine  miles  from  Brunswick,  where  Howe  assembled  hig 
arm)'  on  the  9th  of  June.  He  marched  towards  the  Delaware, 
in  order  to  draw  Washington  from  his  strong  position ;  but 
not  succeeding  in  this,  he  returned  to  Brunswick,  committmg 
terrible  devastations  in  his  march.  On  the  22d  of  June,  he 
retreated  to  Amboy,  an  American  detachment,  under  General 
Greene,  hanging  upon  his  rear  and  frequently  attacking  h 


What  was  done  by  General  Stevens  ? 
By  General  Parsons  ? 
By  Colonel  Barton  ? 
for  whona  was  General  Prescott  ex- 
changed ^ 


What  was  done  by  General  Howe  in 

the  beginning  of  June  •* 
How  was  he  foiled  by  Washington  f 
How  did  he  revenge  himself  ? 
Who  harassed  him  on  bis  retreAt  f 


GENFRaL  HOWfi  SAtLS  TO   THE  60UTI1. 


233 


(ieneral  Washington  advanced  to  Quibbletown,  th»t  ne  mighv 
still  be  Lear  the  British  army. 

Howe  finding  it  impossible  to  bring  Washington,  with  his 
greatly  inferior  force,  to  a  pitched  battle,  sent  off  his  baggage 
to  Staten  J«land  ;  and  ordered  a  part  of  his  troops  to  foMow  ; 
but  learnirg  that  Washington  had  left  his  strong  ground,  and 
was  advancing  in  pursuit  of  him,  he  suddenly  recalled  his 
troops  from  Staten  Island,  and  advanced  from  Amboy  with  his 
whole  army,  in  hopes  to  accomplish  his  great  object.  Corn- 
wallis  being  sent  out  with  a  strong  detachment  on  the  26th  of 
June,  fell  in  with  a  numerous  body  of  the  Americans,  under 
Lord  Stirling  and  General  Maxwell.  After  a  smart  engage- 
ment, the  Americans  retired,  with  some  loss  ;  and  General 
Washington,  apprised  of  the  unexpected  movement  of  the 
British  army,  returned  towards  the  mountains  and  regained 
the  passes  which  it  was  the  intention  of  Cornwallis  to  seize. 

Finding  himself  thus  baffled.  General  Howe,  on  the  30th 
of  June,  crossed  to  Staten  Island  ;  and  on  the  5th  of  July 
embarked  his  arrwy,  to  the  number  of  16,000,  on  board  of 
transports  in  order  to  sail  to  the  southward.  The  remainder 
of  the  army  was  left  with  Sir  Henry  Clinton  to  defend  New 
York.  The  fleet  did  not  leave  Sandy  Hook  till  the  25th  of  July. 

Howe's  original  intention  was  to  sail  up  the  Delaware  to 
Philadelphia,  but  learning  that  the  Americans  had  obstructed 
the  navigation  of  that  river,  he  entered  Chesapeake  bay  and 
landed  at  the  head  of  Elk  river. 

Anxious  to  prevent  his  approach  to  Philadelphia,  Washing 
ton  marched  to  meet  him.  Howe  was  not  ready  to  leave  the 
head  of  the  Elk  river  before  the  3d  of  September.  On  his 
advaace,  Washington  retired  across  the  Brandywine  creek, 
and  took  post  with  his  main  body  at  Chadd's  Ford,  sending 
out  General  Maxwell  with  1,000  light  troops,  to  skirmish 
with  the  British  and  retard  their  progress. 

On  tiie  II th  of  September,  the  British  army  advanced, 
crossed  the  Brandywine  at  different  points,  and  attacked  the 
main  army  of  the  Americans,  who  sustained  the  assault  with 
intrepidity  for  some  time,  but  at  length  gave  way.  Genera 


To  what  island  did  he  commence  a 
retreat  ? 

What  brought  him  back  ? 

What  happened  on  the  26th  of  June  ? 

Whither  did  Washington  retire  ? 

When  did  Howe  abandon  tlie  Jer- 
seys ? 


Who  was  placed  in  command  at  New 

York  ? 

What  course  did  Howe  take  ? 
Where  did  he  land  ? 
What  was  done  by  Washington  ? 
Describe  the  battle  of  the  Brandy 

wine. 
What  was  its  i^gult  ? 


20* 


234 


BATTLE  OF  GERMANTOWN. 


Washiif^tuii  eflfected  a  retreat  with  his  artillery  and  baggage 
to  Ohesler,  where  he  halted,  within  eight  miles  of  the  British 
army,  till  the  next  iiiorning,  when  he  retreated  to  Philadel- 
phia. 

The  battle  of  the  Brandy  wine  was  the  first  in  which  La- 
fayette drew  his  sword  in  the  American  cause.  He  received 
i  wound  in  the  leg,  but  kept  his  position,  and  continued  to 
cheer  and  encourage  the  troops  to  the  end  of  the  engagement 
,Several  other  French  officers  were  engaged  in  this  battle,  as 
well  as  Count  Pulaski,  a  Polish  nobleman,  who  had  also 
accepted  a  commission  in  the  American  army. 

Washington  remained  in  Philadelphia  two  days,  collecting 
his  scattered  troops  and  replacing  his  stores  ;  and  then  pro 
ceeded  towards  Lancaster. 

Congress  left  Philadelphia  on  the  18th  of  September,  and 
proceeded  to  Lancaster  and  afterwards  to  Yorktown.  On  the 
23d,  General  Howe  encamped  with  the  main  body  of  his 
army  at  Germantown,  seven  miles  from  Philadelphia ;  and  on 
A\e  26th,  with  a  detachment  of  his  troops,  he  took  peaceable 
possession  of  the  city. 

The  British  now  employed  themselves  in  endeavouring  to 
clear  the  Delaware  of  the  chevaux-de-frise  of  timber  and  iron 
spikes  which  had  been  run  across  it,  below  the  city,  and  were 
guarded  by  fortifications  on  the  banks  and  islands  of  the  river, 
and  by  floating  batteries. 

While  they  were  thus  employed,  Washington  with  his  army 
reinforced  to  8,000  continental  troops  and  3,000  militia,  lay 
encamped  at  Shippack  creek,  on  the  Schuylkill,  about  20 
miles  from  Philadelphia.  Taking  advantage  of  the  diversion 
occasioned  by  Howe's  operations  on  the  river,  he  determined 
to  attempt  a  surprise  of  the  British  camp  at  Germantown. 
With  about  2,500  men,  he  left  Shippack  creek  on  the  even 
ing  of  the  3d  October,  and  at  dawn,  next  morning,  attacked 
the  royal  army.  After  a  smart  conflict,  he  drove  in  the 
advanced  guard,  and  marched  on  towards  the  main  body. 
But  five  companies  of  the  British  having  thrown  themselves 
into  a  large  stone  house  belonging  to  Mr.  Chew,  nearly  halt 
the  American  army  was  occupied  for  some  time  in  attempting 
to  dislodge  them.  This  circumstance  disconcerted  the  originsd 
plan  of  Washington  ;  and  a  thick  fog  which  prevailed  durinf 


Whither  did  Washington  retreat  P 
Who  was  wounded  in  this  tattle  P 
Whither  did  Washington  next  re- 
treat ? 

Wnat  is  said  of  congrees  ? 


Of  General  Howe  ? 
Of  the  British  ? 

Give  an  account  of  the  battle  of  Ger 
man  town. 


BATTLE  01'  REDfiANlt. 


235 


the  engagement,  gave  a  character  of  confusion  to  all  the  ope- 
rations of  the  day,  which  renders  it  difficuFt  to  understand  or 
describe  them.  The  Americans,  however,  were  foiled  in  their 
attempt  to  surprise  the  British  camp,  although  the  fog  covered 
their  retreat,  and  they  were  able  to  retire  in  tolerable  order. 
The  Americans  lost  900  men  in  this  engagement,  of  whom 
200  were  killed  and  400  were  taken  prisoners.  The  British 
acknowledged  a  loss  of  600,  killed  and  wounded. 

The  attack  on  Howe  failed,  raainfy  from  Greene's  failure  to 
carry  out  his  part  of  the  plan  of  battle  by  engaging  the  British 
right.  Howe  escaped,  but  the  effect  of  the  battle  was  favorable 
to  the  Americans.  That  Washington,  so  soon  after  his  de- 
feat at  Brandywine,  should  feel  able  to  assume  the  offensive 
and  attack  the  British  lines,  infused  a  new  spirit  into  the 
army,  and  made  Congress  hopeful.  In  Europe  it  convinced 
the  French  cabinet  that  the  independence  of  America  would 
be  established. 

Howe  felt  that  with  an  enemy  so  near  him,  bold,  daring, 
and  capable,  he  was  by  no  means  safe  in  Philadelphia,  a  city 
situated  far  up  a  river,  unless  his  forces  were  protected  by 
the  guns  of  the  British  men-of-war.  At  no  little  risk  the 
fleet  was  brought  up  the  river. 

They  now  proceeded  to  attempt  the  opening  of  the  Dela- 
ware to  their  fleet,  which  was  waiting  to  proceed  to  Philadel- 
phia. The  upper  line  of  chevaux-de-frise  was  protected  by  a 
work  named  Fort  Mifllin,  erected  on  Mud  Island,  and  by  a 
redoubt  called  Redbank,  on  the  Jersey  side. 

Having  withdrawn  his  army  from  German  town  and  en- 
camped in  the  vicinity  of  Philadelphia,  Howe  despatched 
Count  Donop,  a  German  officer,  with  three  battalions  of  Hes- 
sian grenadiers,  the  regiment  of  Mirbach,  and  some  light 
infantry,  to  reduce  Redbank.  They  reached  the  fort  on  the 
21  SI  of  October,  and  Count  Donop  summoned  the  garrison 
to  surrender,  but  Colonel  Christopher  Greene,  of  Rhode 
Island,  who  commanded  the  Americans,  answered  that  he 
would  defend  his  fort  to  the  last  extremity.  An  assault  was 
immediately  commenced,  and  after  a  desperate  conflict,  in 
which  Count  Donop  was  mortally  wounded,  the  enemy  waa 
compelled  to  retire,  with  a  severe  loss.  Count  Donop  was 
mide  prisoner,  and  soon  died  of  his  wounds.  The  ships 
which  were  to  co-operate  in  the  attack,  were  some  of  them 
grounded ;  and  one  was  burnt  by  the  Americans. 


What  was  the  loss  of  the  Americans  ?  I  What  did  the  British  new  attempt  f 
Of  the  British  ?  I  Describe  the  battle  of  R  ok. 


236 


CAPTXTRE  OT  FORT  MIFFLIN. 


The  British  afterwards  sent  a  very  heavy  sea  and  lano 
force  against  the  little  garrison  of  300  men,  at  Fori  Mifflin, 
which  protected  the  second  line  of  chevaux-de-fiise,  and  after 
a  terrible  cannonade,  which  was  smartly  returned,  they  suc- 
ceeded in  beating  down  the  walls  of  the  fort,  and  dismounting 
its  guns.  The  garrison  then  retired,  by  means  of  their  ship- 
ping. Two  days  afterwards,  the  post  at  Redbank  being  no 
longer  tenable,  was  evacuated  also.  A  free  passage  for  the 
British  fleet  to  Philadelphia  was  thus  secured,  although  at 
Ihe  cost  of  great  exertion  and  many  lives,  on  the  part  of  the 
enemy. 

No  other  important  military  transactions  took  place  m  this 
quarter,  until  Washington  retired  to  winter  quarters,  at  Valley 
Forge,  about  26  miles  from  Philadelphia.  The  two  armies  ai 
that  time  numbered  about  14,000  each.  Washington,  during 
the  early  part  of  the  campaign,  owing  to  his  want  of  force, 
had  been  obliged  to  occupy  strong  positions  and  be  wary  in 
all  his  movements.  He  had  suffered  defeat  at  Brandywine, 
and  repulse  at  Germantown,  but  he  had  conducted  his  opera- 
tions so  well,  that  Howe  had  gained  nothing  by  the  campaign 
but  good  winter  quarters  in  Philadelphia. 

While  the  events  just  related  were  passing  in  the  middle 
states,  most  important  transactions  were  going  on  in  the  north, 
to  which  we  shall  now  turn  our  attention. 

The  British  ministry  had  resolved  to  prosecute  the  wai 
vigorously  on  the  northern  frontier  of  the  United  States,  an(? 
appointed  General  Burgoyne,  who  had  served  under  General 
Carleton  in  the  preceding  campaign,  to  the  command  of  the 
royal  army  in  that  quarter.  General  Burgoyne  had  visited 
England  during  the  winter,  concerted  with  the  ministry  a  plan 
of  the  campaign,  and  given  an  estimate  of  the  force  necessary 
for  its  execution.  Besides  a  fine  train  of  artillery  and  a  suita- 
ble body  of  artillery  men,  an  army,  consisting  of  more  than 
7,000  veteran  troops,  excellently  equipped,  and  in  a  high  state 
of  discipline,  was  put  under  his  command.  Besides  this  re- 
gular force,  he  had  a  great  number  of  Canadians  and  savages 

This  force  was  destined  to  invade  the  United  States  by  the 
way  of  Lake  Champlain  and  the  Hudson,  unite  with  the 
British  army  then  at  New  York,  and  thus  cut  off  all  commu- 
nication between  the  northern  states  and  those  lying  south  of 


Describe  the  battle  of  Fort  Mifflk\ 
What  was  at  length  secured  by  the 
British  ? 

What  is  remarked  of  the  subsequent 
military  operations  of  the  season  i 


Of  the  two  generals  in  chief? 
Who  was  appointed  to  the  command 
of  the  British  army  in  the  north  ? 
What  force  had  he  ? 
What  was  the  plan  of  the  eampalgnl 


OPERATIONS  IN  THE  NORTfl. 


237 


the  Hudson.  New  England  was  then  to  be  overrun  and 
reduced  to  obedience,  after  which  it  was  hoped  that  all  the 
southern  country  could  be  easily  subjected  to  the  British 
sway. 

The  position  of  the  American  affairs  in  the  north  was 
highly  favourable  to  Burgoyne^s  plan.  General  Schuyler,  a 
prudent,  capable  general,  had  made  his  disposition  with  great 
judgment,  but  he  found  that  the  New  England  officers  and 
troops  were  jealous  of  his  authority  and  but  little  inclined  to 
carry  out  his  plans.  His  subordinate,  General  Gates,  was 
eager  to  supplant  him,  and  had  gained  a  party  in  Congress 
who  upheld  his  pretensions.  Meanwhile  he  treated  Wash- 
ington with  contempt,  and  intrigued  till  he  had  General 
Schuyler  removed,  just  as  he  had  by  his  wise  measures 
made  success  certain.  The  command  was  then  given  to 
Gates. 

The  first  attempts  of  Burgoyne  were  as  successful  as  the 
condition  of  his  army  entitled  the  ministry  to  expect.  The 
Indians,  gained  by  presents,  or  stimulated  by  the  hopes  of 
plunder,  joined  him  in  considerable  numbers.  Burgoyne,  to 
quiet  his  conscience,  rendered  somewhat  uneasy  by  the  em- 
ployment of  such  auxiliaries,  exhorted  them  to  kill  none  but 
such  as  appeared  in  arms  against  them,  and  to  spare  the 
women  and  children,  whom  the  fortune  of  war  might  put  into 
their  hands.  The  Indians  promised  compliance  with  this  in- 
junction, and  paid  not  the  slightest  regard  to  it  afterwards. 

On  the  2d  of  July,  the  English  army  encamped  on  both 
sides  of  the  narrow  channel  which  connects  Lakes  Champlain 
and  George,  with  a  naval  force  on  the  water,  near  Ticonde- 
roga.  To  this  strong  fortress  the  Americans  had  retired  at 
the  end  of  the  preceding  year  ;  and  now  it  was  garrisoned 
with  about  6,000  men,  under  General  St.  Clair. 

The  approaches  of  the  British  were  rapid  and  decisive. 
Soon  after  their  appearance  before  the  American  works,  they 
took  possession  of  Sugar-hill ;  an  eminence  which  overlooked 
the  fortifications,  and  enabled  them  to  place  their  batteries  to 
great  advantage,  but  which  the  Americans  had  supposed  it 
was  impossible  to  ascend.  On  the  5th,  every  step  had  been 
taken  to  render  the  investment  complete. 

St.  Clair,  however,  conscious  of  his  inability  to  defend  the 


What  success  had  he  at  first  ? 
Who  were  General  Burgoyne's  allies? 
What  humane  advice  did  he  give 
them  ? 


Did  they  observe  it  ? 

What  fortress  was  first  invested  f 

Describe  the  siege. 

What  was  the  result  ? 


238 


LOSS  OP  TlCONDEROGA 


place,  and  anxious  at  the  same  time  to  avoid  tlie  nfjcesslty 
of  surrendering  his  troops  prisoners  of  war,  abandoned  the 
works,  when  he  was  nearly  surrounded,  and  retreated  to 
Skeensborough.  Previous  to  his  departure,  he  had  ordered 
the  baggage  and  military  stores  to  be  sent  by  water  to  the 
same  place  ;  but  the  vessels  which  were  employed  for  that 
purpose,  were  attacked  by  the  English  ships,  and  either  de- 
stroyed or  rendered  unfit  for  service  ;  and  in  consequence  of 
this  disaster,  the  Americans  set  fire  to  their  boats  and  fortifi- 
cations at  Skeensborough,  and  retreated  towards  Fort  Ann. 
On  land  the  royalists  were  not  less  successful.  Colonel 
Francis,  and  a  body  of  provincial  troops,  were  defeated  with 
great  slaughter  by  General  Reidesel ;  and  by  the  skilful 
manoeuvring  of  Burgoyne,  St.  Clair  was  prevented  frora 
reaching  Fort  Ann.  An  engagement  then  took  place  in  the 
woods,  in  which  the  Americans  were  defeated,  and  compelled 
to  retire  to  Fort  Edward,  on  the  Hudson,  where  St.  Clair 
joined  General  Schuyler  on  the  12th  of  July. 

The  loss  of  Ticonderoga  was  one  for  which  the  United 
States  were  not  prepared.  Neither  the  strength  of  the  in- 
vading army,  nor  the  weakness  of  the  garrison  appears  to 
have  been  understood.  It  was  universally  believed  that  the 
whole  force  of  Canada  did  not  exceed  6,000  men ;  and  there- 
ore  no  adequate  measures  were  taken  to  enable  St.  Clair  to 
maintain  his  position.  Washington  complained  of  this  in- 
distinct information  and  its  fatal  consequences  in  a  letter  ad- 
dressed to  General  Schuyler,  the  commander  of  the  northern 
army,  and  at  the  same  time  expressed  a  hope  that  the  confi- 
dence, which  Burgoyne  derived  from  success,  would  hurry 
him  into  measures,  which  in  their  consequences  might  be 
favourable  to  the  Americans.  In  this  expectation  he  was  not 
disappointed. 

The  army  of  General  Schuyler  did  not  exceed  4,400  men. 
With  that  force  he  could  not  face  the  British  army  ;  and  in 
order  to  gain  time,  he  sent  detachments  of  his  men,  who 
broke  down*  the  bridges ;  cut  down  trees  so  as  to  fall  across 
the  roads,  and  intermingled  their  branches,  and  threw  every 
possible  obstacle  in  the  way  of  Burgoyne's  advance.  He 
also  solicited  reinforcements  of  regular  troops ;  called  on  the 
militia  of  New  England  to  join  the  regular  army,  and  used 


How  did  St.  Clair  escape  ? 

What  was  done  by  General  Reidesel? 

By  Burgoyne  ? 

What  was  the  result  of  the  engage- 
meo^  ic  the  woods  / 


What  is  said  of  the  loss  of  Ticondt 

roga  ? 
Of  Washington  t 
Of  Schuyler  ' 


ADVANCE  Of  BURGOYNE. 


all  his  fersonal  influence  in  the  surrounding  country,  to  in 
spire  ihe  people  with  military  ardour  and  patriotic  enthu- 
siasm. The  militia  of  New  England  were  not  willing  to 
serve  under  General  Schuyler ;  and  General  Lincoln  was 
appointed  to  raise  and  command  them.  Arnold  was  directed 
to  join  the  northern  army  ;  Colonel  Morgan  and  his  riflemen 
were  also  attached  to  it;  and  tents,  artillery,  and  other  muni 
tions  of  war,  were  diligently  provided. 

Meantime  Burgoyne,  who  had  been  obliged  to  halt  at 
Skeensborough,  to  rest  his  troops  and  bring  forward  his  artil- 
lery, baggage  and  military  stores,  was  commencing  his  march 
towards  the  Hudson,  greatly  elated  with  his  past  success. 
His  progress  was  so  eflfectually  retarded  by  the  obstructions 
which  General  Schuyler's  men  had  thrown  in  his  way,  that 
he  was  frequently  occupied  a  whole  day  in  advancing  with 
the  army  a  single  mile.  It  was  not  till  the  30th  of  July,  that 
he  reached  Fort  Edward,  which  General  Schuyler  had  quitted 
a  short  time  before  retreating  to  Saratoga.  Burgoyne  might 
have  much  more  easily  reached  Fort  Edward  by  the  way  of 
Lake  George  ;  but  he  had  been  led  up  the  South  river  in  pur- 
suit of  the  retreating  Americans ;  and  he  persevered  in  that 
diffieult  route,  lest  he  should  discourage  his  troops  by  a  retro- 
grade movement. 

At  Fort  Edward,  Burgoyne  found  it  necessary  to  pause  in 
his  career.  He  was  greatly  in  want  of  provisions  and 
draught  horses ;  and  his  carriages  had  been  broken  and 
needed  repairs.  It  was  not  till  the  15th  of  August  that  ha 
Bucceeded  in  transporting  a  quantity  of  supplies  from  Fort 
George. 

In  order  to  obtain  a  further  supply,  he  had  detached 
Colonel  Baum,  a  German  oflicer  with  500  men,  partly 
cavalry,  two  pieces  of  artillery  and  100  Indians  to  surprise 
Bennington,  in  Vermont,  and  seize  a  large  deposit  of  car- 
riages, corn,  flour  and  other  necessaries  which  had  been  col- 
lected by  the  Americans  in  that  place. 

General  Starke,  with  the  New  Hampshire  militia,  400 
strong,  happened  to  be  in  that  vicinity,  on  his  way  to  join 
General  Schuyler.  He  heard  first  of  the  approach  of  the 
Indians,  and  soon  afterwards  of  the  regular  force.    He  col- 


Of  the  militia  of  New  England  ? 
Of  General  Lincoln  and  Burgoyne  ? 
Of  Morgan  and  his  riflemen  ? 
Of  Burgoyne  ? 

What  difficulties  had  he  to  encoun- 


When  did  he  reach  Fort  Edwaid  ? 
What  mistake  did  he  make  f 
What  was  his  situation  at  Fort  Ed- 
ward ? 

How  did  he  attempt  to  obtain  sup* 
plies  ? 


240 


BATTLE  OF  BENNINGTON 


fected  ^ko  ^i'^av^  ,  seut  expresses  to  the  neighbouring  militia 
to  join  hiM,  nils}.  \i^o  J.0  Colonel  Warner's  regiment  at  Man- 
chi:si>si  Oa  iKe  rnoraia^*  of  the  14th  of  August,  he  marched 
aghinsi  the  enem/,  at  tLe  hei.d  of  700  men  ;  and  sent  Colonel 
(jlregg,  with  a  party  Oi  30G,  skirmish  in  their  front,  and 
retard  their  progrestj.  Ke  \\ie^  up  his  men  in  order  of 
oaitle  ;  but,  on  coming  in  sight  of  him,  Baum  halted  on  ad- 
vantageous ground  ;  sent  aa  expiobs  to  Burgoyne  informing 
him  of  his  situation ;  and  foitifioO  himself  as  well  as  circum 
etances  would  permit. 

After  some  skirmishing,  on  the  uoining  of  the  16th,  Starke 
commenced  a  furious  attack  on  the  royhX  forces.  Baum  made 
a  brave  defence.  The  battle  lasted  iwo  hours,  during  which 
he  was  assailed  on  every  side  by  incessant  discharge  of 
musketry.  He  was  mortally  woundock ;  his  troops  were 
overpowered ;  a  few  of  them  escaped  ihto  the  woods  and 
fled,  pursued  by  the  Americans ;  the  le^st  wcie  killed  or  taken 
prisoners.  '  Thus,'  says  a  British  hisCorian,  in  whose  lan- 
guage we  have  chosen  to  record  some  of  these  events,  '  with- 
out artillery,  with  old  rusty  firelocks,  and  with  scarcely  a 
bayonet,  their  militia  entirely  defeated  i!>0()  vetoiaas,  well 
armed,  provided  with  two  pieces  of  aitilleiy,  nvcx  defended 
by  breastworks.'  This  was  not  the  only  subject  of  .wtonish- 
ment  with  which  the  Americans  furnished  their  cuemies 
during  this  campaign. 

After  the  victory,  the  greater  part  of  the  militia  dib'pe,  sed 
in  quest  of  booty;  and  this  imprudence  nearly  proved  »atiil 
to  them,  for,  on  receiving  Baum's  express.  General  Bur- 
goyne had  sent  Colonel  Breyman,  with  500  men,  to  his  as 
sistance ;  and  if  Colonel  Warner's  regiment  of  continentab 
had  not  arrived  just  as  he  came  up  and  was  attacking  the 
scattered  militia,  they  would  have  fared  but  indifferently 
Breyman  maintained  the  conflict  till  dark ;  when,  abandon 
ng  his  artillery  and  baggage,  he  retreated,  and,  escapin,^ 
under  cover  of  the  night,  with  a  shattered  remnant  of  hi^ 
detachment  regained  the  camp. 

Thus  the  victory  at  Bennington  was  complete.  The  Ame- 
ricans took  4  brass  fieldpieces,  1,000  muskets  (a  very  season 
able  supply  for  the  ill-armed  militia),  900  swords,  and  \ 


Who  intercepte'l  Baum  ? 
How  did  Baum  prepare  for  action  ? 
Describe  the   battle  of  Benning- 
ton 

<Vhat  doett  a  British  historian  %%y  of 


Of  what  imprudence  were  the  Amo» 

ricans  guilty  ? 
How  were  they  saved  from  its  const! 

quences  ? 
What  supplies  were  obtained  at  Ben 

nington  ? 


FORT  SCHUYLER  INVESTED. 


241 


baggage  wagons.  The  British  lost  700  in  killed,  wounded, 
and  prisoners  ;  and  the  Americans  100  in  killed  and  wounded. 
It  was  an  action  fought  on  New  England  soil,  by  New  Eng- 
land men  against  regular  troops,  and  it  gave  new  energy  to 
that  section  of  the  country. 

When  tidings  of  Breyman's  defeat  reached  Burgoyne,  he 
ordered  his  army  under  arms  and  advanced  to  receive  the 
fugitives,  a  mere  fiagment  of  the  well-trained  force  he  bad 
sent  out.  The  result  on  his  army  was  unmistakable.  Many 
of  the  Canadians  deserted  ;  the  Indians  of  the  remote  nations 
began  to  leave  in  disgust;  yet  even  for  his  diminished  force 
he  could  not  obtain  supplies.  To  obtain  them  from  Canada 
was  slow  and  full  of  danger,  and  it  was  impossible  to  live  off 
the  country.  He  now  began  to  feel  the  difficulties  of  his 
position.  A  powerful  army,  long  under  a  cautious  general 
in  front,  made  advance  difficult  and  retreat  dangerous. 

This  was  Burgoyne's  first  check  ;  and  it  was  a  serious 
one.  Its  moral  effect,  in  raising  the  depressed  spirits  of  the 
Americans,  was  of  immense  importance  to  their  cause.  Pre- 
vious to  this,  dejection  and  alarm  pervaded  the  northern 
states  ;  but  success  now  infused  spirit  and  vigour  into  the 
militia,  and  gave  a  new  aspect  to  affairs  on  the  Hudson. 

But  the  defeat  at  Bennington  was  not  Burgoyne's  only  mis- 
fortune. He  had  sent  General  St.  Leger,  with  a  detachment 
of  regular  troops,  Canadians,  Tories,  and  Indians,  to  take 
Fort  Schuyler,  on  the  Mohawk  river,  which  was  garrisoned 
oy  about  600  continentals,  under  Colonel  Gansievoort.  St. 
Leger  arrived  there  on  the  2d  of  August,  invested  the  place 
with  an  army  1,600  strong,  and  summoned  the  garrison  to 
surrender.  Gansevoort  replied  thai  he  would  defend  the 
place  to  the  last. 

Meantime  General  Herkimer  with  700  militia  was  sent  to 
his  support.  This  party  fell  into  an  ambuscade  of  British 
aiul  Indians,  and,  after  a  vigorous  defence,  was  compe  lied 
to  retreat.  Herkimer  lost  400  men  and  fell  himself  in  the 
battle.  General  Schuyler  then  despatched  Arnold,  with  a 
body  of  regular  troops,  to  Fort  Schuyler ;  but,  before  he 
reached  the  fort,  St.  Leger,  being  foiled  in  his  attempts  on  the 
works,  and  deserted  by  his  Indian  allies,  who  had  been  very 


Wliat  were  the  effects  of  the  battle  ? 
What  fort  was  invested  by  General 

S*.  Leger  ? 
Who  defended  it  ? 

WHS  first  sent  tr  its  relief  ? 


81 


What  befell  him  and  his  detachmc  Btf 
Who  was  then  sent  to  relieve  thfl 
fort  ? 

What  made  his  assistance  unnecei' 

sary  ? 


MURDER  OF  MISS  MACREA. 


loi'/iily  handled  in  the  late  engagements,  raised  the  siege  and 
"♦^tk/ed.  Arnold,  finding  no  occasion  for  his  assistance,  soon 
returned  to  camp. 

It  was  at  this  period  that  a  circumstance  transpired,  which, 
/^though  it  involved  only  a  case  of  individual  suffering,  is  cf 
r*ii^ortance  on  account  of  the  degree  to  which  it  exasperated 
the  feelings  of  the  Americans  and  incited  them  to  an  active 
prosecution  of  the  war.  Mr.  Jones,  an  officer  of  the  British 
army*,  had  gained  the  affections  of  Miss  Macrea,  a  lovely 
young  lady,  of  amiable  character  and  spotless  reputation, 
dau^^hter  of  a  gentleman  attached  to  the  royal  cause,  residing 
near  Fort  Edward  ;  and  they  were  engaged  to  be  married. 
In  the  course  of  the  service,  the  officer  was  removed  to  some 
distance  from  his  intended  bride  ;  and  became  anxious  for 
her  safety  and  desirous  of  her  company.  He  engaged  some 
Indian^,  of  two  different  tribes,  to  bring  her  to  camp,  and 
promised  a  keg  of  rum  to  the  person  who  should  deliver  her 
safely  to  him.  She  dressed  to  meet  her  bridegroom,  and 
accompanied  her  Indian  conductors  ;  but,  on  the  way,  the 
two  chiefs,  each  being  desirous  of  receiving  the  promised 
reward,  disputed  which  of  them  should  deliver  her  to  her 
lover.  The  dispute  rose  to  a  quarrel ;  and,  according  to 
their  usual  method  of  disposing  of  a  disputed  prisoner,  one 
of  them  instantly  cleft  the  head  of  the  lady  with  his  toma- 
hawk. This  being  one  -^f  the  legitimate  consequences  of  the 
British  employing  Indian  allies,  was  laid  hold  of  by  the 
Americans,  and  recited  in  the  newspapers  with  such  circum- 
stances of  pathos  and  warmth  of  colouring,  as  to  set  the  peo- 
ple in  a  complete  ferment  of  rage  and  indignation  against 
their  enemies.  The  militia  rose  in  great  numbers,  and,  re- 
pairing to  the  scene  of  action,  augmented  the  army  opposed 
to  Burgoyne  to  a  m.ost  formidable  array, 

Burgoyne  still  flattered  himself  with  being  able  to  effect  a 
junciion  with  the  British  at  New  York,  and  thus  separate  the 
New  England  states  from  the  middle  and  sovthern  portions 
of  the  union,  so  that  they  might  be  over-run  and  conquered  at 
-eisure.  But  he  was  encompassed  with  difficulties.  He  was 
obliged  to  bring  supplies  from  Fort  George  ;  an  undertaking 
of  considerable  difficulty  ;  and  then  having  constructed  a 
bridge  of  boats  over  the  Hudson,  he  crossed  the  river  on  the 
13th  and  14th  of  September,  and  encamped  on  the  height* 


Give  an  account  of  the  murder  of 

Miss  Macrea. 
What  was  the  effect  of  this  affair  on 

the  Americans  f 


What  did  Burgoyne  still  expect  ? 

What  was  his  situation  ? 

When  did  he  encamp  at  Saratogt  f 


BURGOYNE   AT  SARATOGA. 


243 


md  plains  of  Saratoga,  20  miles  from  Fort  Edward,  rir  d  3*^ 
from  Albany. 

General  Gates,  who  had  been  appointed  to  the  command 
of  the  northern  army,  in  place  of  General  Schuyler,  was 
DOW  joined  by  all  the  continental  troops  destined  for  the 
•aorthern  department,  and  reinforced,  as  we  have  already  ob- 
served, by  large  bodies  of  militia.  He  left  the  strong  posi- 
tion which  General  Schuyler  had  taken  at  the  confluence  of 
4he  Mohawk  and  Hudson,  and,  proceeding  16  miles  up  the 
river  towards  the  enemy,  formed  a  strong  camp  at  Stillwater 
The  two  armies  were  now  within  twelve  miles  of  each  other, 
but  the  bridges  between  them  were  broken  down,  and  the 
country  was  covered  with  woods. 

On  the  17th,  General  Burgoyne  encamped  within  foui 
miles  of  the  American  army;  and  on  the  19th  an  engage- 
ment took  place,  commencing  with  skirmishes,  but  soon  in- 
volving a  considerable  part  of  the  force  on  both  sides.  Co- 
lonel Morgan,  with  his  riflemen,  commenced  the  attack  on 
the  advancing  left  wing  of  the  British,  and  drove  them  back. 
Burgoyne  coming  up  with  a  strong  detachment,  Morgan,  in 
his  turn,  was  compelled  to  give  way.  But  General  Gates 
reinforced  him  ;  and  the  engagement  became  more  general. 
The  Americans  attempted  to  turn  the  right  flank  of  the  Bri- 
tish army,  with  the  view  of  attacking  it  in  the  rear  ;  but, 
being  opposed  by  Frazer  and  Breyman,  they  made  a  rapid 
movement,  and  commenced  a  furious  attack  on  the  left  of  the 
British  right  wing.  The  combatants  were  reinforced  ;  and, 
between  three  and  four  in  the  afternoon.  General  Arnold 
v/ith  nine  continental  regiments  and  Morgan's  riflemen,  was 
closely  engaged  with  the  whole  right  wing  of  the  British 
army.  Both  parties  fought  with  the  most  determined  cou- 
rage, and  the  battle  ended  only  with  the  day.  When  it 
became  dark,  the  Americans  retired  to  their  camp  ;  and  thf 
royal  troops  lay  all  night  on  their  arms  in  the  field. 

In  this  battle  each  party  had  nearly  'i,000  men  engaged ; 
the  British  lost  upwards  of  500  men,  and  the  Americans 
B19.  Both  sides  claimed  the  victory  ;  but  the  advantages  of 
nctory  were  all  with  the  Americans.  The  news  of  the  bat- 
tle was  received  with  joy  and  exultation  throughout  the 


V\liere  did  Genera]  Gates  encamp  ? 
How  near  were  the  two  armies  P 
What  took  pl9™e  on  the  17th  of  Sep- 
tember ? 

Describe  the  enga^e^nent  of  *hc  IPth. 


What  was  the  result  { 
The  loss  of  each  pa^^^  ^ 
The  effect  of  this  intelligence  to  the 
Americ^in  people  i 


U4 


BURIAL  OF   GENERAL  FRAZER. 


United  Slates ;  and  the  ruin  of  the  invading  army  was  confi- 
dently anticipated. 

The  next  day,  information  was  received  in  camp  of  a  de- 
cisive victory  gained  by  Colonel  Brown  and  Colonel  John- 
son over  the  British,  in  the  vicinity  o^  Ticonderoga ;  and 
towards  the  end  of  September  General  l^incoln  reached  the 
camp  of  Gates,  with  2,000  men  from  New  England. 

On  the  7th  of  October,  the  second  battle  of  Stillwater  wai 
fought,  in  which,  after  a  severe  engagement,  the  Americans 
drove  their  enemies  from  the  field  of  battle,  killed  200  men 
and  many  officers,  among  whom  were  General  Frazer  and 
Colon  3I  Breyman,  took  nine  pieces  of  artillery,  and  a  large 
amount  of  camp  equipage  and  ammunition  ;  and  experienced 
but  a  trifling  loss. 

The  8th  of  October  was  spent  in  skirmishing  and  cannon- 
ading. About  sunset,  the  body  of  General  Frazer  was,  agree- 
ably to  his  own  desire,  carried  up  the  hill  to  be  interred  in  the 
great  redoubt  of  the  British,  attended  by  the  officers  who  had 
Hved  in  his  family.  Generals  Burgoyne,  Philips,  and  Reidesel, 
in  testimony  of  respect  and  afl^ection  for  the  deceased,  joined 
the  mournful  procession,  which  necessarily  proceeded  in  view 
of  both  armies.  The  incessant  cannonade,  the  steady  attitude 
and  unfaltering  voice  of  the  chaplain,  and  the  firm  demeanour 
of  the  company  during  the  funeral  service,  though  occasionally 
covered  with  the  earth  torn  up  by  the  shot  from  the  hostile 
batteries,  ploughing  the  ground  around  them,  the  mute  ex 
pression  of  feeling  depicted  on  every  countenance,  and  the 
increasing  gloom  of  the  evening,  all  contributed  to  give  an 
affecting  solemnity  to  the  obsequies.  General  Gates  after- 
wards declared,  that  if  he  had  been  apprised  of  what  was 
going  on,  he  would  have  silenced  his  batteries,  or  ordered 
minute  guns  to  be  fired  in  honour  of  the  deceased  general. 

General  Burgoyne,  perceiving  that  the  Americans  were 
endeavouring  to  surround  him,  commenced  a  retreat;  and  on 
the  9th  of  October,  after  a  ^-^tiguing  and  difficult  march, 
reached  Saratoga.  He  ne^^o  made  preparations  to  retire  to 
l^ort  Edward,  but  his  retreat  was  cut  ofl^,  and  all  the  passef 
strongly  guarded.  He  was  now  in  a  most  distressing  condi 
tion.    He  had  crossed  the  Hudson  in  the  confident  hope  of  ' 


What  news  came  on  the  next  day  ? 
What  reinforcement  did  Gates  re- 
ceive f 

Give  the  result  of  the  «!ecc  nd  battle 
ai  Stillwatci 


Of  General  Frazer's  funeral. 
Of  Burgoyne's  retreat? 
What  was  his  condition  at  Sm 
toga  f 


CAPTURE  OF  FORT  MONTGOMERY. 


345 


actory  and  triumph,  and  in  expectation  of  a  poworful  co-'jpe- 
tation  irom  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  in  New  York,  if  needful.  On 
tiie  21st  of  September,  after  the  battle  of  the  19th  had  in  r  ome 
Tfieasure  made  him  sensible  of  his  difficulties,  he  received  a 
Messenger  from  Clinton,  who  informed  him  of  an  intended 
aitack  on  Forts  Clinton  and  Montgomery.  That  messenger 
he  immediately  sent  back,  with  a  letter  informing  Clinton  of 
his  intention  to  maintain  the  ground  he  then  occupied  till  the 
12th  of  October,  and  requesting  assistance  ;  but  he  had  heard 
nothing  furthei"  from  New  York. 

Sir  Henry  Clinton  was  aware  of  the  inefficiency  of  General 
Putnam,  who  commanded  the  defences  on  the  North  River, 
and  by  a  bold  and  decisive  movement  might  have  carried  the 
American  positions  and  reached  Albany,  menacing  Gates  in 
the  rear.  But  he  waited  for  reinforcements  from  England. 
Meanwhile  Governor  George  Clinton  of  New  York  hastened 
to  Fort  Clinton  with  all  the  forces  he  could  collect,  and  his 
brother,  General  James  Clinton,  took  command  of  Fort  Mont- 
gomery. Putnam  did  nothing  to  save  the  positions  or  hold 
the  passes  leading  to  them. 

Sir  Henry  Clinton  had  meanwhile  embarked  at  New  York 
with  3,000  men,  and  on  the  6th  of  October  cai  ried  both 
works  in  spite  of  a  gallant  resistance.  The  forts  fell,  with  the 
iron  chain  across  the  river,  and  two  frigates  that  defended  it. 
Fort  Constitution  was  abandoned,  and  Governor  Clinton 
retired  to  the  woods.  Putnam  received  reinforcements  from 
Connecticut,  but  did  nothing.  The  English,  instead  of  ad- 
vancing to  the  relief  of  Burgoyne,  employed  themselves 
laying  waste  the  country,  and  burning  the  town  of  Esopus. 
This  proceeding,  intended  to  divert  General  Gates  from  his 
main  object,  only  increased  the  hatred  of  the  inhabitants 
against  their  cruel  enemies. 

General  Burgoyne,  having  been  defeated  in  his  intention  of 
retreating  to  Fort  Edward,  disappointed  in  his  expectation  of 
relief  from  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  and  being  now  surrounded  and 
cut  off  from  all  hope  of  forcing  his  way  back  to  Canada, 
summoned  a  council  of  war,  and  by  the  unanimous  advice  of 
the  members,  opened  a  correspondence  with  General  Gates, 
on  the  13th  of  October.    On  the  16th,  terms  of  capitulation 


What  intelligence  did  Burgojne  re- 
ceive from  Clinton ' 
What  was  his  reply  ? 
Rive  an  accoua^  ♦rif  Clinton's  opera- 

n 


What  is  said  of  burgoyne  ? 
What  took  place  on  the  13th  of  Octo- 
ber ? 

When  was  the  con  mention  of  Sair  ato^ 
signed  ? 


SURRENDER  OF  BUROOYNE. 


were  agieed  on,  by  which  it  was  stipulated  that  the  troapi 

under  General  Burgoyne  should  next  day  march  out  of  their 
camp,  with  the  honours  of  war,  and  the  artillerv  of  the  en- 
trenchments, and  pile  their  arms  on  the  verge  of  tne  river 
tliat  a  free  passage  should  be  granted  them  to  Great  Britain 
on  condition  of  not  serving  in  North  America  during  the  war, 
unless  exchanged  ;  and  that  they  should  embark  at  Boston. 
On  the  17th,  the  British  army  piled  their  arms  agreeably  to 
the  capitulation,  and  the  formal  surrender  took  place. 

When  the  British  army  left  Ticonderoga  it  consisted  of 
10,000  men  besides  Indians.  At  the  time  of  the  surrender,  it 
nad  been  reduced  to  6,000.  General  Gates's  army  was 
superior  in  numbers,  but  it  consisted  partly  of  militia. 

The  news  of  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne  spread  the  greater! 
joy  and  exultation  throughout  the  country.  It  increased  the 
numbers  of  the  patriots,  and  proportionably  thinned  the  ranks 
of  the  tories.  Had  the  British  ministry  been  wise,  it  would 
nave  terminated  the  contest.  But  they  still  persisted  in  their 
mad  attempts  to  conquer  a  people  whose  spirit  and  resolution 
had  shown  them  to  be  unconquerable. 

At  the  encampment  of  Valley  Forge,  whither  General 
Washington  retired  for  winter  quarters  at  the  close  of  this 
campaign,  the  sufferings  of  his  army  were  very  great.  He 
had  chosen  this  position  on  account  of  its  being  sufficiently 
near  Philadelphia  to  check  the  foraging  parties  of  the  enemy, 
and  for  its  security  from  any  sudden  and  desultory  attack. 
The  army  was  lodged  in  huts  formed  of  logs  with  the  inter- 
stices filled  with  mud.  The  winter  was  severe,  and  many  of 
the  men  were  without  shoes  and  nearly  destitute  of  clothing; 
and  their  line  of  march  from  White  Marsh  to  Valley  Forge 
might  have  been  traced  by  the  blood  from  the  bare  and  man- 
gled feet  of  the  soldiers.  The  miseries  of  famine  were  added 
to  their  other  sufferings,  and  in  these  circumstances,  though 
a  few  deserted  to  the  enemy,  yet  the  rest  bore  their  lot  with 
cheerfulness,  and  devoted  themselves  nobly  to  the  sacred 
cause  of  independence. 

While  the  army  lay  at  Valley  Forge,  a  plot  was  formed  to 
remove  General  Washington  from  the  chief  command  ;  in 
which  several  members  of  congress  and  a  few  military  officera 


What  were  its  terms  ? 
When  did  the  formal  sunender  take 
place  ? 

What  n'limbcr  of  men  had  the  British 
lost  f 

What  was  the  effect  of  Burgoyne's 
flf/;ie|i4er  era  the  /^^ericfmi  f 


What  is  said  of  the  British  minis- 
try ? 

What  was  the  situation  of  Uie  annj 

at  Valley  Forge  ? 
What  plot  is  mentioned  ? 
Who  were  coiiceniAd  initi 


IWfklGUES  AGAlNSt  WASHmotON. 


W&ie  coilceriied.  Gates  was  to  succeed  him.  He,  however, 
Jisclaimed  all  connection  with  the  faction ;  which,  fortunately 
for  America,  did  not  succeed. 

In  the  midst  of  the  difficulties  and  dangers  wiin  which  he 
was  surrounded,  Washington  was  serine  and  undismayed, 
pursuing  the  line  of  his  duty  with  ste  idy  perseverance  and 
unshaken  fortitude.  Instead  of  manifesting  irritable  feelmgs 
under  the  malignant  attacks  made  on  his  character,  he  beliaved 
with  magnanimity ;  and  earnestly  applied  to  congress  and  the 
tej^islative  bodies  of  the  several  states,  for  reinforcements  to 
his  army,  in  order  that  he  might  be  prepared  to  act  with 
vigour  in  the  ensuing  campaign.  Congress  was  slow  in 
making  the  necessary  arrangements,  and  the  state  legislatures 
were  backward  in  furnishing  their  respective  contingents  of 
money  and  men  for  the  service.  At  length,  however,  Wash- 
ington succeeded  in  having  an  efficient  commissary  genera! 
appointed ;  the  other  departments  of  the  army  were  put  on  a 
more  desirable  footing;  and  vigorous  measures  were  pursued 
to  prepare  for  the  ensuing  campaign. 


CHAPTER  XXVHI. 

CAMPAIGN  OF  1778. 

The  terms  of  capitulation  at  Saratoga,  called  the  *'  Conven- 
tion of  Saratoga,"  had  'provided  for  the  embarkation  of  the 
British  troops  at  Boston.  The  unscrupulous  manner  in  which 
the  British  had  violated  the  law  of  nations  with  respect  to 
prisoners  and  surrenders,  gave  congress  good  reason  to  be- 
ieve  that  this  convention  would  not  be  faithfully  observed  on 
he  part  of  their  enemies  ;  but  that,  if  the  troops  were  delivered 
Ip  instead  of  being  sent  to  England,  they  would  be  ordered 
JO  the  middle  states,  and  united  with  the  forces  of  General 
Howe.  Pretexts  for  non-compliance  with  the  convention 
were  sought  and  found  by  congress,  and  after  a  good  deal  of 
discussion  and  correspondence,  the  troops  were  detained  as 
prisoners. 


What  is  said  of  Washington  f 

Of  congress  ? 

Of  th*^  state  leffis^atures  f 


What  is  said  of  the  convention  oi 

Saratoga  ? 
Why  was  'X  not  strictJjr  ohierred  f 


248 


CONCILIATORY  OFFERS  OF  ENGLAND. 


Hitherto  the  American  commissioners  at  Paris  had  been 
unable  to  obtain  from  France  any  recognition  of  American 
independence.  But  the  capture  of  Burgoyne's  army  decided 
the  hesitating  councils  of  that  country  ;  and,  on  the  6th  of 
February,  1778,  bis  most  Christian  Majesty  acknowledged 
and  guaranteed  the  independence  of  the  United  States,  and 
entered  into  a  treaty  of  commerce  and  alliance  with  the  new 
republic.  The  notification  of  this  act  to  the  British  mmisters 
was  considered  by  them  equivalent  to  a  declaration  of  war 
against  Great  Britain. 

This  new  danger,  together  with  the  intelligence  of  the  defeat 
and  surrender  of  Burgoyne,  appears  to  have  brought  the 
British  cabinet,  in  some  measure,  to  their  senses.  They 
now  brought  into  parliament,  propositions  offering  the 
Americans  all  that  they  had  demanded  before  the  beginning 
of  the  contest ;  and  hastily  resolved  to  send  over  commis- 
eioners  to  bring  back  the  colonies  to  their  allegiance,  at  an) 
expense  of  concession  and  humiliation. 

When  the  conciliatory  propositions  of  Lord  North  were 
brought  forward  in  parliament,  his  speech  on  the  occasion 
was  a  singular  compound  of  humiliation  and  gasconade.  He 
went  into  a  long  history  of  the  contest,  but  gave  a  very  lame 
account  of  the  causes  of  failure.  The  celebrated  Charles 
James  Fox  replied  to  him  in  a  speech  abounding  with  cutting 
sarcasms.  He  approved  of  Lord  North's  propositions,  the 
substance  of  which  Mr.  Burke  had  brought  forward  three 
years  before,  but  could  not  refrain  from  making  some  severe 
animadversions  on  the  policy  of  the  premier,  all  whose  argu- 
ments, he  asserted,  might  be  collected  into  one  point,  his 
excuses  all  reduced  to  one  apology — his  total  ignorance. 
*  He  hoped,'  exclaimed  the  indignant  orator,  '  he  hoped,  and 
was  disappointed  ;  he  expected  a  great  deal,  and  found  little 
to  answer  his  expectations.  He  thought  the  Americans 
would  have  submitted  to  his  laws,  and  they  resisted  them 
He  thought  they  would  have  submitted  to  his  armies,  and 
they  were  beaten  by  inferior  numbers.  He  made  conciliatory 
propositions,  and  he  thought  they  would  succeed,  but  they 
were  rejected.  He  appointed  commissioners  to  make  peace, 
and  he  thought  they  had  powers  ;  but  he  found  they  could 
not  make  peace,  and  nobody  believed  they  had  any  powers 


When  did  France  recognise  the  inde- 
pendence of  the  United  States  ? 

How  was  this  regar'^ed  by  the  British 
ministers  f 


What  did  they  resolve  to  do  ? 
What  is  said  of  Lord  North's  speech 

in  parliament  ? 
Of  Fox'f  reply  ? 


DEATH   Of  THE   EARL  OF   CHATHAM.  "Zih 

le  had  said  many  such  things  as  he  had  thought  fit  i'l  hi» 
conciliatory  propositions ;  he  thought  it  a  proper  method  of 
quieting  the  Americans  upon  the  alTair  of  taxation.  If  any 
person  should  give  himself  the  trouble  of  reading  that  pro- 
position, he  would  find  not  one  word  of  it  correspondent  to 
the  representation  made  of  it  by  its  framer.  The  short 
account  of  it  was,  that  the  noble  lord  in  the  proposition 
assured  the  colonies,  that  when  parliament  had  taxed  them 
fts  much  as  they  thought  proper,  they  would  tax  them  no 
^Tiore.'  In  conclusion,  however,  Mr.  Fo«  said  'that  he 
would  vote  for  the  present  proposition,  because  it  was  much 
more  clear  and  satisfactory,  for  necessity  had  caused  him  to 
speak  plain.' 

The  conciliatory  bills  were  passed,  and  when  sent  to  Lord 
Howe  in  New  York,  and  by  him  submitted  to  congress,  they 
liad  not  received  intelligence  of  the  signature  of  their  treaty 
3f  alliance  with  France.  Tliat  body,  however,  did  not  hesi- 
Vate  a  moment  as  to  the  line  of  conduct  they  were  to  pursue 
rhey  were  no  more  easily  to  be  managed  by  the  fawning, 
^han  they  had  been  by  the  blustering  of  the  British  Govern 
went.  They  peremptorily  rejected  Lord  North's  proposals 
wS  insidious  and  unsatisfactory. 

Meantime  a  proposition  had  been  brought  forward  by  the 
Duke  of  Richmond  in  the  British  House  of  Lords  for  acknow- 
ledging the  independence  of  the  United  States.  Lord  Chatham 
understanding  what  was  intended,  regardless  of  his  age  and 
infirmities,  had  attended  in  his  place  in  the  house  for  the  ex- 
press purpose  of  opposing  the  measure.  '  My  Lords,'  ex- 
claimed the  venerable  orator,  '  I  rejoice  tliat  the  grave  has  not 
closed  upon  me,  and  that  I  am  still  alive  to  lift  my  voice 
against  the  dismemberment  of  this  ancient  and  most  noble 
nonarchy.'  He  then  proceeded  in  the  most  energetic  man- 
ner to  urge  his  auditors  to  prompt  and  vigorous  efforts  againsi 
their  new  enemy,  the  house  of  Bourbon ;  and  concluded  by 
calling  upon  them,  if  they  must  fall,  to  fall  like  men.  The 
Duke  of  Richmond  having  replied  to  this  speech.  Lord  Chat- 
ham attempted  to  rise  for  the  purpose  of  rebutting  his  grace's 
arguments,  and  proposing  his  own  plan  for  ending  the  Ameri 
can  war,  which  is  understood  to  have  been  the  establishment 
with  the  colonies,  upon  the  most  liberal  terms,  of  a  kind  of 
§Bderal  union  under  one  common  mo?.arch.    But  the  powers 


'iHiat  was  done  by  parliament  ^        I  What  is  said  pf  the  Duke  of  Rich- 
Bow  did  congress  trea.t  the  coDCiUa-  I     monJ's  proposition  ? 
toiy  propositions  |  Of  Lord  Chatham  ? 


250  ANECDOTE  OF  GENERAL  REED. 

of  nature  in  him  were  exhausted  :  he  lainted  under  the  efforl 
to  speak  his  sentiments,  and  being  conveyed  to  his  country 
seat  in  Kent,  he  expired  on  the  1  llh  of  May. 

The  firmness  with  which  congress  rejected  Lord  North's 
propositions  augured  ill  for  the  success  of  the  British  coir 
missioners,  Lord  Carlisle,  Mr.  Eden,  and  governor  John 
stone,  who  arrived  at  New  York  on  the  9th  of  June,  1778, 
and  immediately  attempted  to  open  a  negotiation  with  con- 
gress. Their  overtures  were  ofJicially  answered  by  the  pre- 
sident, Mr.  Laurens,  in  a  letter  in  which  he  apprised  them 
that  the  American  government  were  determined  to  maintain 
their  independence,  but  were  willing  to  treat  for  peace  with 
his  Britannic  majesty,  on  condition  of  his  withdrawing  his 
fleets  and  armies  from  the  country. 

Thus  foiled  in  their  attempt  at  open  negotiation,  the  com- 
missioners had  recourse  k)  secret  intrigues.  Governor  John- 
stone, from  his  long  resiience  in  America,  was  personally 
acquainted  with  many  of  the  leading  members  of.congress,  to 
whom  he  addressed  letters,  vaguely  intimating  the  great  re- 
wards and  honours  which  would  await  those  who  should 
assist  in  putting  an  end  to  the  present  troubles.  He  is  said  to 
have  offered  Joseph  Reed,  a  general  in  the  army  and  a  mem- 
ber of  congress,  ten  thousand  pounds  sterling  and  any  office 
within  the  colonies  in  his  majesty's  gift,  if  he  would  endea- 
vour to  re-unite  the  colonies  to  the  mother  country.  *I  am 
not  worth  purchasing,'  replied  this  incorruptible  patriot;  *  but 
such  as  I  am,  the  king  of  Great  Britain  is  not  rich  enough  to 
buy  me.' 

All  the  clandestine  overtures  of  the  governor  were  rejected 
with  contempt,  and  congress  being  apprised  of  them,  declared 
them  direct  attempts  at  corruption,  and  refused  all  intercourse 
with  him.  The  pacificators  then  published  a  manifesto 
threatening  the  union  with  a  war  of  devastation.  Congress 
then  notified  the  gentlemen,  that  the  bearers  of  copies  of  this 
manifesto  were  not  entitled  o  the  protection  of  a  flag  ;  and  at 
the  same  time  displayed  their  contempt  of  its  threats  by  giving 
it  a  very  extensive  circulation  througn  the  country  in  the 
newspapers.  The  c3mmissioncrs  remained  a  short  time  at 
New  York,  and  then  sailed  for  Britain. 


Of  his  fainting  and  death  ^ 
Who  were  the  Britisn  commissioners  ? 
What  answer  was  made  to  their  pro- 
position P 

To  what  did   tney  then  have  re- 
course t 

What  is  said  of  governor  Johnstone  ? 


What  answer  did  he  receive  fron) 

General  Reed  ? 
What  was  then  done  by  congress  ? 
By  the  pacificators  ? 
By  congress  in  answer  ? 
Whitht  r  did  the  commissionen  loov 

afte^go? 


RETREAT  OF  BARREN  HILL. 


261 


General  Howe  spent  the  spring  of  1778,  nearly  in  a  state 
o(  inaction,  corifining  his  operations  to  the  sending  out  of  fo 
raging  and  predatory  partits,  which  did  some  miscliief  to  the 
country,  and  but  little  service  to  the  royal  cause. 

In  May,  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette,  with  upwards  of  2,000 
chosen  men  and  six  pieces  of  artillery,  was  ordered  to  the  east 
of  the  Schuylkill,  and  took  post  on  Barren  Hill,  seven  or 
•ight  miles  in  front  of  the  army  at  Valley  Forge.  General 
dowe  got  notice  of  his  position  and  sent  out  General  Grant, 
with  5,000  of  his  best  troops  to  surprise  him  Owing  to 
the  desertion  of  their  post  by  some  militia  on  the  look-out, 
he  was  near  accomplishing  his  object,  but  La  Fayette  eluded 
ihe  snare,  and  by  able  manoeuvring  returned  to  the  camp 
without  loss.  The  retreat  of  Barren  Hill  has  always  been 
regarded  as  a  most  splendid  achievement,  and  received  thf 
highest  commendations  of  Washingtoa. 

Soon  afterwards  General  Howe  received  orders  from  the 
British  ministry  to  evacuate  Philadelphia  without  delay 
These  orders  were  sent  under  the  apprehension,  that  if  a 
French  fleet  should  block  up  his  squadron  in  the  Delaware, 
whilst  Washington  inclosed  him  on  the  land  side,  he  would 
share  the  fate- of  Burgoyne.  On  the  18th  of  June,  therefore, 
the  Brihsh  troops  quitted  Philadelphia,  and  crossed  over  into 
New  Jersey,  whither  they  were  speedily  followed  by  Wash- 
mgton,  who,  keeping  a  strict  watch  on  their  movements, 
harassed  them  on  their  march,  which  was  encumbered  with 
baggage. 

On  his  arrival  at  Princeton,  Washington,  hearing  that  Ge- 
neral Clinton,  with  a  large  division  of  the  British  forces,  had 
quitted  the  direct  road  to  Staten  Island,  the  place  of  rendez^ 
vous  appointed  for  General  Howe's  army,  and  was  marching 
for  Sandy  Hook,  sent  a  detachment  in  pursuit  of  him,  and 
followed  with  his  whole  army  to  support  it;  and  as  Clinton 
halted  at  Monmouth  and  made  preparations  to  meet  the  pre- 
meditated attack,  he  sent  forward  reinforcements,  to  keep  the 
British  in  check. 

These  reinforcements  were  commanded  by  General  Lee, 
whom  Washington,  on  his  coming  up  with  the  main  body 
met  in  full  retreat.    After  angrily  remonstrating  with  hire 


What  was  done  by  General  Howe  in 

the  spring  of  1778  ? 
By  General  La  Fayette  in  May  ? 
How  did  he  escape  a  surprise  ? 
Why  was  Howe  ordered  tc  quit 

I'ailadeiphia  i 


When  was  this  order  obeyed  ? 
What  circumstance!  led  to  the  btttl^ 

of  Monmouth  ? 
Give  an  account  of  the  affair  €  fitt' 

neral  Lee. 


i62 


BAtfLE  OF  MONMOUTH. 


die  commander  in  chief  ordered  him  to  advar»ce  again,  lit 
obeyed  and  was  again  driven  bacR  ;  but  he  brought  olf  his 
troops  in  good  order.  When  Wasliington  brought  the  main 
body  of  the  army  into  action,  the  British  were  compelled  to 
IB^ive  way;  and  taking  advantage  of  the  night,  the  approt  ih 
of  which  probably  saved  them  from  utter  discomfiture,  they 
witlidrew  to  Sandy  Hook,  leaving  behind  tiiem  such  of  theii 
wounded  as  could  not  with  safety  be  removed. 

The  victory  at  Monmouth  was  celebrated  with  rejoicings 
ihroughout  the  United  States,  and  congress  returned  thanks 
to  General  Washington  and  his  army. 

General  Lee,  conceiving  himself  to  have  been  insulted  by 
General  Washington  on  the  field  of  battle,  in  the  evening  ad- 
dressed him  a  letter,  expressed  in  disrespectful  terms.  He 
was,  therefore,  put  under  arrest,  and  tried  by  a  court  martial 
for  disobedience  of  orders,  and  disrespect  to  his  commander 
in  chief.  He  was  found  guilty,  and  suspended  from  his  com- 
mand for  a  year.  He  never  rejoined  the  army,  but  remained 
in  retirement  till  October,  1782,  when  he  died  at  Philadelphia. 

After  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  Washington  marched  to 
White  Plains,  a  few  miles  to  the  north-eastward  o(  New  York 
island.  Here  he  continued  watching  the  unmolested  move 
ments  of  the  neighbouring  enemy,  from  the  beginning  of  Jul}' 
till  the  latter  end  of  autumn,  when  he  retired  to  take  up  his 
winter  quarters  in  huts  which  he  had  caused  to  be  constructed 
at  Middlebrook,  in  Jersey. 

The  British  ministry  were  not  mistaken  in  their  view  of 
the  intentions  of  the  French.  In  July,  the  Count  d'Estaing 
with  a  fleet  of  12  ships  of  the  line  and  3  frigates,  arrived  oflf 
the  mouth  of  the  Delaware,  but  found  that  Lord  Howe  had 
already  withdrawn  the  British  fleet  from  that  river  to  the 
harboui  of  New  York.  D'Estaing  immediately  sailed  for 
Sandy  Hook.  After  continuing  there  at  anchor  eleven  days, 
during  which  he  captured  about  20  English  merchantmen, 
finding  that  he  could  not  work  his  line  of  battle  ships  over 
the  bar,  by  the  advice  of  General  Washington  he  sailed  tor 
Newport,  with  a  view  of  co-operating  with  ihe  Americans  in 
Iriving  the  British  from  Rhode  Island,  of  which  they  had 
Deen  in  possession  for  upwards  of  eighteen  months.  General 


What  was  the  result  of  the  battle  of 

Monmotiil.  ? 
^hat  were   he  effects  of  this  vic- 

t(»ry  ? 

flow  did  General  Lee's  affair  te^mi* 
Qate  ? 


How  did  Washington  pas8  the  re- 
mainder of  the  season  ? 
Where  did  his  army  pass  the  winter  1 
What  is  said  of  the  British  ministry  ? 
Of  the  Count  d'Estaing  ? 
What  did  he  effect  off  New  Yoik , 


ATTEMPT  TO  RECOVRY  RHODE  ISLAND. 


Sullivan,  with  a  detachment  from  General  Wasl  ington'a 
army,  and  reinforcements  from  New  England,  was  to  aci  in 
concert  with  him. 

This  enterprise,  however,  completely  failed,  for  want  of 
active  co-operation  on  the  part  of  the  French  fleet.  Lord 
Howe  appearing  with  his  fleet  off  Newport,  the  French  ad 
miral  came  out  of  the  harbour  to  give  him  battle,  but  before 
the  hostile  armaments  could  encounter,  a  violent  storm  arose 
which  damaged  both  fleets  so  much,  that  the  British  were 
compelled  to  return  to  New  York,  and  D'Estaing  declared 
his  intention  of  withdrawing  to  Boston  harbour.  Notwith- 
standing the  remonstrances  of  General  Greene  and  the  Mar- 
quis de  la  Fayette,  who  were  deputed  by  Washington  to 
exert  their  influence  in  preventing  this  ill-timed  retreat,  he 
executed  his  purpose,  leaving  the  American  army  under  Ge- 
neral Sullivan,  on  the. island,  in  a  very  critical  situation;  but 
oy  the  skill  of  its  commander,  it  was  withdrawn  to  the  main 
land  with  trifling  loss.  His  escape  was  very  fortunate,  as? 
Sir  Henry  Clinton  was  on  his  way  to  Rhode  Island  with  a 
reinforcement  of  4,000  men,  but  was  detained  in  the  Sound 
four  days  by  contrary  winds,  and  arrived  only  the  day  after 
the  Americans  had  left  the  island.  A  very  short  delay  on 
the  part  of  General  Sullivan,  might  have  proved  fatal  to  the 
army. 

Sanguine  expectations  had  been  entertained  throughout  the 
United  States  of  the  reduction  of  Rhode  Island,  and  the 
capture  of  the  British  force  which  defended  it,  so  that  the 
disappointment  and  mortification,  on  the  failure  of  the  en- 
terprise, were  exceedingly  bitter.  The  French  being  con- 
sidered the  authors  of  the  miscarriage,  were  much  blamed ; 
and  some  misunderstanding  took  place  between  General  Sul- 
livan and  the  Count  d'Estaing  on  the  occasion.  By  the  in- 
tervention of  General  Washington  and  the  congress,  however, 
the  growing  breach  between  the  Americans  and  their  allies 
was  soon  healed. 

During  the  summer  of  1778,  a  harassing  and  destructive 
war  was  carried  on  by  the  Indians  against  the  settlers  on  the 
western  frontier  of  the  United  States.    The  happy  settle 
ment  of  Wyoming,  in  Pennsylvania,  became  in  a  particulaf 


For  wliat  purpose  did  he  proceed  to 
Rhode  Island  ? 

Who  was  sent  to  co-operate  with  him? 

What  was  the  result  ? 

What  caused  the  failure  of  this  enter- 
prise r 

<V)iat  saved  the  army  ? 


What  is  said  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton  ? 
What  was  the  effect  of  this  defeat ' 
What  is  said  of  the  misunderstanding 

between  General  Sullivan  and  the 

Count  d'Estaing  ? 
What  took  place  in  the  summer  oif 

17'~8  ? 


28 


^54 


MAMACRfi  At  WYOMmd. 


manner  the  scene  of  carnage,  misery,  and  ruin,  li  wan  i 
ilourishing  settlement,  containing  about  1,000  inhabitants 
Unfortunately  the  neighbourhood  was  infested  with  tories, 
who  uniting  with  the  Indians  in  the  work  of  treachery  and 
murder,  succeeded  in  surprising  the  settlement  and  capturing 
the  forts ;  and  massacred  a  great  part  of  the  inhabitants.  The 
surrounding  country  was  then  laid  waste,  and  about  three 
thousand  persons,  without  money,  clothes,  or  provisions,  pre- 
cipitately abandoned  their  homes,  and  fled  from  the  mur- 
derous tomahawk.  The  approach  of  some  continental  troop« 
drovs  the  savage  invaders  from  the  region  which  they  had 
desolated.  These  atrocities  served  to  exasperate  the  Ame- 
ricans, and  to  give  a  still  sterner  aspect  to  the  subsequent 
character  of  the  war. 

The  western  frontier  of  Virginia  was  saved  from  similar 
horrors  by  the  enterprise  and  courage  of  Colonel  George  Ro' 
gers  Clarke,  who  with  a  body  of  militia  penetrated  to  the 
British  settlements  on  the  Mississippi,  took  the  town  of  Kas- 
kaskias,  and  subsequently  surprised  Colonel  Hamilton,  who 
had  been  entrusted  with  the  direction  of  the  operations  on 
the  Wabash.  By  his  activity  in  encouraging  the  Indian  hos 
tilities,  and  stimulating  them  to  the  perpetration  of  revolting 
oarbarities,  Hamilton  had  rendered  himself  so  obnoxious,  that 
the  executive  council  of  Virginia  threw  him,  and  some  of  his 
immediate  agents,  into  prison  and  put  them  in  irons.  The 
vigorous  measures  of  Clarke  disconcerted  Hamilton's  plan 
for  annoying  the  western  frontier,  and  deterred  the  Indians 
from  engaging  in  their  ferocious  incursions  into  the  United 
States. 

When  the  season  for  active  operations  in  the  middle  and 
northern  states  had  terminated,  the  British  commander  in 
chief  resolved  to  make  an  attempt  on  the  southern  provinces 
Some  royalists  who  had  fled  from  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia, 
had  made  incursions  into  the  latter  state.  These  had  been 
retaliated  by  General  Robert  Howe,  commander  of  the  mili- 
tary force  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia,  but  the  sicknesa 
of  his  troops  had  compelled  him  to  retire  and  take  post  in  the 
vicinity  of  Savannah,  where  he  had  to  encounter  an  enemy 
ar  more  formidable  than  the  irregulars  of  East  Florida. 
On  the  23d  of  December,  an  armament,  commanded  by 


GAve  an  account  of  the  massacre  at 
AVyoming. 

Wkit  was  done  on  the  western  fron- 
tier of  Virginia  ? 

What  Am**'  ican  general  commanded 


the  military  force  of  South  Caroli- 
na and  Georgia  ? 
Who  had  been  opposed  to  Jm  there  1 
What  new  enemy  had  he  \f>  encoiu* 
ter.^ 


LOSS  OF  THE   FRIGATE  RANDOLPH. 


255 


Colonel  Campbell  with  about  3,500  men,  escorted  by  a  smaE 
squadron  under  Admiral  Parker  appeared  off  the  mouth  of 
the  Savannah,  and  proceediug  up  the  river  effected  a  landing 
without  much  opposition  on  the  29th. 

Howe,  with  about  900  men,  was  posted  in  a  good  position 
about  two  miles  from  Savannah.  He  was  surrounded  by  a 
»wamp,  river,  and  morass,  excepting  in  front.  He  had  de» 
stroyed  a  bridge  and  broken  up  the  road  in  front,  so  that  if 
attacked  in  that  quarter  he  could  have  defended  himself  with 
advantage.  But  a  black  man  who  fell  into  Colonel  Campbell'a 
hands,  informed  him  of  a  private  path  through  the  morass 
by  which  the  rear  of  the  American  army  might  be  gained 
The  consequence  was,  that  being  attacked  on  both  sides 
although  Howe  and  his  men  fought  with  the  greatest  intre- 
pidity, less  than  one  half  of  them  were  able  to  escape  and 
effect  a  retreat  to  South  Carolina.  The  capital  of  Georgia 
of  course  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  British,  and  Sunbury  anu 
Augusta  being  soon  after  taken,  the  whole  state  was  brough 
under  the  British  sway. 

The  noble  defence  of  Fort  Moultrie,  in  1776,  had  hitherto 
saved  the  southern  states  from  the  horrors  of  war ;  but  th^ 
defeat  of  General  Howe,  at  Savannah,  made  those  states  thi 
scene  of  fierce  and  desolating  hostilities  during  the  remainder 
of  the  contest. 

The  small  navy  of  the  Americans  suffered  some  loss  during 
this  year.  Many  of  their  ships  were  destroyed  in  the  har 
hours  on  the  coast,  and  one  was  lost  at  sea  under  very  dis- 
tressing circumstances.  The  Randolph,  an  American  frigate 
of  36  guns  and  305  men,  commanded  by  Captain  Biddle, 
having  sailed  from  Charleston  on  a  crnise,  fell  in  with  the 
British  frigate  Yarmouth,  of  64  guns,  and  engaged  her  in  the 
night.  In  about  15  minutes  the  Randolph  blew  up;  and  all 
the  crew,  except  four  men,  perished.  These  men,  floating 
on  a  piece  of  the  wreck,  subsisted  four  days  on  rain  water 
which  they  sucked  from  a  piece  of  blanket.  They  were 
^hen  discovered  and  relieved  by  the  captain  of  the  Yarmouth 
Captain  Biddle,  who  perished  on  board  the  Randolph,  was 
universally  lamented.  He  was  an  officer  whose  tried  courage 
and  skill  had  excited  high  expectations  of  future  r'^^fulne^s 
to  the  country. 


What  preparations  did  he  make  ? 

Who  betrayed  him  ? 

What  was  the  consequence  ? 

Vhat  state  was  oveixun  by  the  Bri- 


What  were  the  conBt^,^ee»  of 

Howe's  defeat  ? 
Relate  the  catastrophe  oi  the  Rad 

dolph. 

What  is  said  of  Captfiiii  Biddl*  i 


256 


RESULT  OF  THE  CAMPAIGN  OF  1778. 


In  April  of  this  year  the  celebrated  naval  commander,  Paul 
Jones,  in  the  brig  Ranger,  of  18  guns,  captured  the  British 
sloop  of  war  Drake,  of  20  guns,  which  had  been  fitted  out 
with  more  than  her  complement  of  officers  and  men  for  the 
express  purpose  of  capturing  Jones.  This  was  one  among  a 
geries  of  brilliant  achievements  which  had  already  procured 
for  Jones  the  highest  reputation. 

Neither  of  the  contending  parties  was  very  well  saiisfied 
•with  the  result  of  this  campaign.  The  Americans,  who  hsd 
expected,  with  the  assistance  of  the  French,  to  terminate  the 
war  by  some  decisive  stroke,  were  not  a  little  mortified  that 
the  Duly  result  of  the  co-operation  of  their  ally,  was  the 
recovery  of  Philadelphia.  On  the  other  hand,  the  British 
ministry  were  grievously  disappointed  on  learning  that  the 
issue  of  the  campaign,  as  far  as  regarded  their  main  army, 
was  the  exchange,  by  their  commander  in  chief,  of  his  nar- 
row quarters  in  Philadelphia,  for  the  not  much  more  extended 
ones  of  New  York  island.  Hitherto  they  seem  to  have  car- 
ried on  the  war  under  the  idea  that  the  majority  of  the  colonies 
were  favourably  disposed  towards  the  royal  government,  and 
were  only  restrained  from  manifesting  their  loyalty  by  a  fac- 
tion, whom  it  would  be  easy  with  their  assistance  to  subdue ; 
but  from  this  period  they  appear  to  have  abandoned  this 
chimera,  and  conducted  their  hostilities  in  a  spirit  of  despe- 
ration and  revenge. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

CAMPAIGN  OF  1779. 

The  principal  operations  of  the  war  were  now  transferred 
from  ihe>  northern  and  middle,  to  the  southern  states  of  the 
union.  In  the  north  the  British  seem  to  have  aimed  chiefly 
at  creaang  as  large  an  amount  of  distress  and  devastation  as 
possiM*" .  They  had  declared  their  intention  of  making  the 
colonics  of  as  little  avail  as  possible  to  their  new  connec- 
tions    and  truly  the  zeal  and  activity  with  which  Ihey  en- 


GjTe  FX  »*ccount  of  Paul  Jones's  vie-  What  part  of  the  union  now  became 

tory.  the  theatre  of  war  ? 

What  frenaraX  remarks  are  made  on  In  what  spirit  was  it  conducted  hj 

tius  T»nmi  of  the  campaij^n  of  1778  ?  the  British  t 


PUTNAirs  RI 


257 


deaYOured  to  rei/  r  the  country  a  desert,  ere  worthy  of  a 
better  cause. 

With  a  view  to  subject  Virginia  to  the  unmitigated  horrors 
of  war,  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  on  the  lOth  of  May,  1779,  sent 
an  expedition  into  that  state,  under  the  command  of  Sir 
George  CoUyer  and  General  Matthews,  who,  after  landing 
at  Portsmouth,  proceeded  to  Suffolk,  and  laid  that  town  in 
ashes.  The  houses  of  private  gentlemen  in  the  surrounding 
country  shared  the  same  -fate.  After  burning  and  capturing 
130  vessels  of  different  sizes,  and  devastating  the  whole 
country  in  their  line  of  march,  the  marauders  sailed  back, 
loaded  with  plunder,  to  New  York. 

About  five  weeks  after  their  return,  governor  Tryon, 
doubtless  stimulated  with  ambition  at  so  noble  an  example, 
look  the  command  of  a  similar  expedition  to  the  coast  of 
Connecticut.  With  about  2,600  men,  he  sailed  from  New 
York,  by  the  way  of  Hell-gate,  and  landed  at  East  Haven, 
which  he  devoted  to  the  flames,  in  violation  of  his  promise 
of  protection  to  all  the  inhabitants  who  should  remain  in 
their  houses.  He  then  marched  to  New  Haven,  and  delivered 
flp  that  town  to  promiscuous  plunder.  The  inhabitants  were 
stripped  of  their  household  furniture  and  moveable  property 
and  subjected  to  every  outrage  of  a  brutal  soldiery,  excepting 
only  the  burning  of  their  houses.  The  British  then  em- 
barked and  proceeded  to  Fairfield  and  Norwalk,  which  were 
also  plundered  and  then  burnt.  Governor  Tryon  having 
effected  this  mischief  in  ten  days,  with  little  loss,  returned  to 
the  British  head  quarters  to  make  a  report  of  his  proceedings 
to  the  commander  in  chief. 

Whilst  this  mode  of  warfare  was  carried  on,  Washington 
«50uld  spare  very  few  men,  for  the  defence  of  the  invaded 
districts.  His  attention  was  engrossed  by  the  main  army  of 
the  British,  to  keep  which  in  check,  he  posted  his  forces  at 
West  Point,  and  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Hudson,  pushing 
his  patrols  to  the  viciiwty  of  his  adversary's  lints. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  General  Putnam  performed  his 
famous  feat  of  riding  down  the  stone  stairs  at  Horse  Neck. 
He  was  stationed  at  Reading,  in  Connecticut,  and  visiting  his 
out  post  at  Horse  Neck,  with  but  150  men,  and  two  iron  field- 
pieces  without  dvagropes,  he  was  attacked  by  governor  TryoD 


Give  an  account  of  the  expedition    What  is  said  of  General  Washinjt- 
of  Sir  George  Collyer  and  General       ton  ? 

Matthews  into  Virginia.  Give  an  account  of  Putnam'f  f-»«t  ai 

Of  General  Tryon 's  expedition  to      Horse  Neck. 
Connecticut. 

88* 


258 


THE  STORMING  OF  STONY  POINT. 


With  1,500  men.  Putnam  planted  his  cannon  on  the  high 
ground,  ne-cX  the  meeting  house,  and  by  firing,  retarded  the 
enemy's  advance,  till  seeing  the  infantry  and  cavalry  pre- 
paring for  a  charge,  he  ordered  his  men  to  retire  to  a  neigh- 
bouring swamp,  and  plunged  down  the  precipice  ne'o.(  the 
church.  This  was  so  steep  as  to  have  artificial  stairs,  torn- 
posed  of  nearly  100  stone  steps  for  the  accommodatioji  of 
foot  passengers.  The  British  dragoons  durst  not  follow  the 
intrepid  horseman  down  the  precipice,  and  before  the}  could 
ride  round  the  hill,  he  was  out  of  their  reach.  The  in/antry 
poured  a  shower  of  bullets  after  him,  but  all  missed  except 
one,  which  pierced  his  hat.  He  proceeded  to  Stamfoid,  and 
having  re-united  his  men,  and  obtained  a  reinforcement  of 
militia,  faced  about,  and  pursued  General  Tryon  on  his 
return. 

As  the  British  occupied,  with  a  strong  garrison.  Stony 
Point,  some  miles  to  the  south  of  Washington's  camp,  on 
the  15th  of  July,  he  despatched  General  Wayne,  with  a 
small  detachment,  to  dislodge  them.  This  expedition,  though 
an  exceedingly  bold  and  hazardous  one,  was  completely  suc- 
cessful. After  a  very  obstinate  defence,  in  which  Wayne 
was  wounded,  the  fort  was  carried  by  storm,  the  garrison, 
to  the  number  543,  were  taken  prisoners,  63  being  killed,  and 
the  standards,  ordnance  and  military  stores,  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  conquerors.  This  was  considered  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  achievements  of  the  war.  Washington  did  not,  how 
ever,  think  it  prudent  for  the  present,  to  attempt  to  establish 
himself  at  Stony  Point ;  and  it  was  speedily  reoccupied  by 
the  British. 

Another  instance  of  the  enterprising  boldness  of  the  Ame- 
ricans occurred  soon  after,  in  the  surprise  of  the  British  gar- 
rison at  Paulus  Hook,  opposite  to  New  York,  which  was 
attacked  on  the  19th  of  July,  by  Major  Lee,  who  stormed 
the  works,  and  took  160  prisoners,  whom  he  brought  safely 
o  the  American  lines. 

The  joy  felt  by  the  Americans  at  the  success  of  these 
daring  enterprises,  was  somewhat  damped  by  the  failure  of 
m  expedition,  undertaken  by  the  state  of  Massachusetts,  to 
dispossess  the  British  of  a  fort  which  they  had  erected  a* 
Penobscot,  in  the  district  of  Maine.  They  here  lost  the 
whole  of  their  flotilla,  which  was  destroyed  or  raptured  by 


Give  an  account  of  the  «tonn\ng  of  |  Relate  the  affair  of  Paula"  HooIl 

Stony  Point.  ]  The  defeat  at  Pei:i»b8co* 

WtiB  the  fost  retained  { 


OPERATIONS  IN   GEORGIA  AND  SOUTH  CAR  LINa.  2(^0 

Sir  George  Collyer,  whilst  their  land  forces  were  c  napel-ed 
to  seek  for  safety  by  retreating  through  the  woods. 

Spain  having  now  declared  war  against  Great  Britain,  it 
was  hoped  by  the  Americans  that  this  additional  pressure  of 
foreign  foes  would  compel  the  British  ministry  to  withdraw 
their  forces  from  North  America.  But  the  energies  of  the 
mother  country  were  roused  in  proportion  to  the  increase  of 
her  peril.  Her  fleets  gave  her  decided  superiority  on  the 
ocean,  and  her  king  was  determined  to  strain  every  nerve  to 
reduce  his  revolted  colonies  to  obedience.  At  this  period  the 
case  with  which  the  reduction  of  Georgia  had  been  effected 
and  the  advantages  which  it  might  afford  in  making  an  attack 
upon  the  rest  of  the  southern  states,  induced  his  ministers  to 
renew  their  efforts  in  that  quarter. 

The  back  settlements  of  Georgia  and  the  Carolinas,  abound- 
ed with  renegadoes  and  tories,  who  had  been  compelled  by 
the  republicans  to  withdraw  into  these  wilds,  from  the  more 
settled  part  of  the  country.  These  adventurers  having  joined 
the  royal  forces,  under  the  command  of  Major- General  Pres- 
cott,  which  had  also  received  reinforcements  from  Florida, 
that  officer  found  himself  in  a  condition  to  commence  active 
operations.  His  preparations  filled  the  neighbouring  states 
with  alarm. 

The  American  regular  troops,  had,  with  few  exceptions, 
been  sent  from  the  Carolinas  to  reinforce  the  army  of  Gene- 
ral Washington  ;  and  the  only  reliance  of  the  patriots  in 
this  part  of  the  country  was  on  the  militia,  which  con- 
gress had  placed  under  the  command  of  General  Lincoln. 
On  inspecting  his  men,  Lincoln  found  them  very  ill  prepared 
to  meet  the  disciplined  forces  of  the  enemy,  as  they  were 
deficient  in  equipments,  badly  organised,  and  worse  drilled. 
In  these  circumstances,  the  active  operations  of  thi  enemy 
allowed  him  no  time  to  train  them. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  at  head  quarters,  a  division  of  the 
British  army,  under  Major  Gardiner,  was  detached  from  Sa- 
vannah to  take  possession  of  Port  Royal,  in  South  Carolinar 
but  was  driven  back  with  a  heavy  loss  of  men,  aud  nearly  al 
their  ofllicers,  by  General  Moultrie.  This  repulse  damped  the 
ardour,  and  suspended  the  enterprise  of  the  British,  who  took 


Whf^t  is  said  of  Spain  and  Great  Bri- 
tain f 

WhQt  induced  the  British  to  transfer 
rw:a  iipetatious   chiefly  to  the 


What  description  oi  forces  joined  th6 
standard  of  Geiaeral  Prescott  ? 

Who  commanded  the  American  fa»««« 
in  the  south  ? 

Of  what  did  they  consiii^ 

What  took  plae«  at  Port  Uojvl  f 


260 


DEFEAT  OF  GENERAL  LINCOLN, 


post  at  Augusta  and  Ebenezer,  situated  on  tb<9  Savannali 
fiver. 

Here  th-ey  waited  in  expectation  of  being  joined  by  a  body 
of  tories,  who  had  been  collected  in  the  upper  parts  of  South 
Carolina.  These  reputable  allies  of  the  British  had  no  sooner 
begun  their  march  towards  Augusta,  than  they  commenced 
»uch  a  series  of  atrocities  against  the  peaceful  inhabitants,  that 
they  rose  en  masse,  to  oppose  them.  Colonel  Picken,  with 
about  300  volunteers,  pursued  and  came  up  with  them  near 
Kettle  creek,  where  he  totally  routed  them,  killed  about  40, 
with  their  leader,  Colonel  Boyd,  and  dispersed  the  rest. 
Some  of  them  afterwards  gave  themselves  up  to  be  tried  by 
the  laws  of  South  Carolina,  for  violating  the  sedition  act. 
Seventy  of  them  were  condemned  to  die  ;  but  only  five  of  the 
ringleaders  were  executed.  This  proceeding  led  to  acts  of 
retaliation  on  the  part  of  the  tories,  and  the  king's  troops, 
which  for  a  long  time  gave  a  peculiar  character  of  atrocity  to 
the  war  in  the  southern  states. 

Encouraged  by  this  success.  General  Lincoln  sent  an  ex- 
pedition into  Georgia,  with  a  view  of  repressing  the  incursions 
of  the  enemy,  and  confining  them  to  the  low  country  near  the 
ocean.  The  detachment,  consisting  of  1,500  North  Carolina 
militia,  and  a  few  regular  troops,  under  General  Ash,  crossed 
the  Savannah,  and  took  a  position  on  Briar  creek  ;  but  he  was 
surprised  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Prevost,  who  made  a  circui- 
tous march  of  50  miles,  and  came  upon  his  rear  with  90C 
veterans.  The  militia  were  thrown  into  confusion  at  once 
and  fled  at  the  first  fiie ;  150  of  the  Americans  were  killed 
162  taken,  some  were  drowned  in  attempting  to  cross  th( 
Savannah,  and  only  450  escaped  to  the  camp.  This  even 
cost  General  Lincoln  one-fourth  of  his  army,  and  opened  { 
communication  between  the  British  camp  at  Savannah,  and 
the  Indian  and  tory  friends  of  the  British  in  North  and  South 
Carolina. 

In  this  disastrous  state  of  affairs  the  legislature  of  South 
Carolina  invested  their  governor,  Mr.  John  Rutledge,  and  hit 
council,  with  an  almost  absolute  authority,  by  virtue  of  which 
a  considerable  force  of  militia  was  embodied  and  statione  . 
near  the  centre  of  the  state,  to  act  as  necessity  might  require. 

Lincoln  now  determined  to  carry  the  war  into  the  enemy's 


What  is  related  of  the  tories  ? 
Who  defeated  tbem  ? 
How  were  tney  treated  ? 
What  was  the  conseqvence  ? 


Give  an  account  of  the  hattle  of  Bnaa 
creek. 

What  were  the  effect?  of  tmt  dt.t»»i%^ 
Who  was  made  dictatoi  it  o*»^\m 
Carolina  ? 


GENERAL  PREVOST  BEPORE  CHARLESION 


261 


quarters  ;  anH  with  the  main  army,  he  crossed  the  Savaimah, 
near  August^.,  and  marched  towards  tlie  capital  of  Georgia. 
Prevost  instantly  took  advantage  of  this  movement,  to  invade 
South  Carolina,  at  the  head  of  2,400  men,  and  compell/ng 
General  Moultrie,  who  was  charged  with  the  defence  of 
Charleston,  to  retire,  he  pushed  forward  towards  that  city. 

At  this  time  his  superiority  was  so  decisive,  and  his  pro»» 
pects  so  bright,  that  Moultrie's  troops  began  to  desert  in  great 
numbers,  and  with  real  or  affected  zeal  embraced  the  royal 
cause.  On  his  appearance  before  Charleston,  the  garrison  of 
that  place,  consisting  of  3,300  men,  sent  commissioners  to 
propose  a  neutrality  on  their  part  during  the  remainder  of  the 
war.  This  advantageous  proposal,  he  was  impolitic  enough 
to  decline,  and  made  preparations  to  attack  the  town,  which 
was  tolerably  well  fortified. 

Whilst  he  had  been  wasting  time  in  negotiations.  General 
Lincoln  had  been  hastening  from  Georgia  to  the  relief  of  the 
place  ;  and  on  his  approach,  Prevost,  fearing  to  be  exposed  to 
two  fires,  withdrew  his  forces  across  Ashley  river,  and  en- 
camped on  some  small  islands  bordering  on  the  sea-coast. 
Here,  on  the  20th  of  June,  he  was  attacked  by  General  Lin- 
coln, with  about  1,200  men,  but  succeeded  in  giving  him  a 
repulse  with  the  loss  of  150  men,  in  consequence  of  the  failure 
of  a  part  of  the  American  general's  combinations. 

Notwithstanding  this  success  General  Prevost  did  not  think 
it  advisable  to  maintain  his  position,  but  retreated  to  Port 
Royal,  and  thence  to  Savannah. 

The  Americans,  under  the  command  of  Lincoln,  soon  after- 
wards retired  to  Sheldon,  a  healthy  situation  in  the  vicinity  of 
Beaufort,  about  half  way  between  Charleston  and  Savannah. 
Both  armies  now  remained  in  their  respective  encampment* 
in  a  state  of  tranquillity  until  the  beginning  of  September, 
when  tie  arrival  of  a  French  fleet  on  the  coast  roused  the 
whole  country  to  immediate  activity. 

Count  d'Estaing  had  proceeded,  towards  the  close  of  the 
preceding  year,  from  Boston  to  the  West  Indies,  whence, 
after  capturing  St.  Vincents  and  Grenada,  he  had  returned  to 
%ne  assistance  of  the  Americans.    At  the  sight  of  this  arma 


IV  hither  did  Lincoln  march  ? 

What  advantage  did  Prevost  take  of 

t)»»«  movement  ? 
\S  liO  retired  before  him  ? 
Whd*       the  garrison  at  Charleston 

WtL,  iuc  oiler  accepted  ? 


What  occasioned  Prevost  ^  retreat  ? 
What  happened  on  the  20th  of  Jim©  i 
Whither  did  Prevost  retire  after  J» 

feating  Lincoln? 
Whither  did  the  Americans  retire  ? 
What  news  roused  them  to  action  f 
What  is  said  of  d'£»t  ling  ? 


262 


Sl£OB  OF  SAVANNA.H. 


menl,  which  consisted  of  20  sail  of  the  line,  and  13  frigatci, 
the  republicans  exulted  in  the  sanguine  hope  of  capturing  iheii 
enemies,  or  of  expelling  them  from  the  country.  Tlie  militia 
poured  in  from  the  surrounding  region  in  great  numbers,  and 
uniting  with  the  regular  force,  under  General  Lincoln,  march- 
ed for  the  vicinity  of  Savannah. 

Before  their  arrival  d'Estaing  had  summoned  the  town  to 
surrender,  and  had  granted  General  Prevost  a  suspension  of 
hostilities  for  24  hours,  for  the  purpose  of  settling  the  terms 
ef  a  capitulation.  But  during  this  interval,  a  reinforcement 
(j{  several  hundred  men  had  forced  their  way  from  Beaufort 
for  his  relief.  Encouraged  by  this  seasonable  aid,  Prevost 
determined  to  hold  out  to  the  last  extremity. 

The  allied  forces,  therefore,  commenced  the  siege  of  Sa 
vannah  in  form.  On  the  4th  of  October  the  besiegers  opened 
with  9  mortars,  and  37  pieces  of  cannon,  from  the  land  side, 
and  15  from  the  water.  On  a  report  from  the  French  engi- 
neers, that  a  considerable  time  would  be  consumed  in  con- 
ducting the  siege  by  regular  approaches,  d'Estaing,  who  was 
apprehensive  of  injury  to  his  fleet  from  hurricanes  at  that 
season  of  the  year,  determined  on  an  assault. 

In  conjunction  with  Lincoln,  he  led  his  troops  to  the  attack 
with  great  gallantry ;  but  a  heavy  and  well  directed  fire  from 
the  batteries,  and  a  cross  fire  from  the  British  galleys,  threw 
their  front  columns  into  confusion.  Two  standards  were 
planted  on  the  enemy's  batteries,  but  after  55  minutes  of  hai-d 
fighting  it  was  found  necessary  to  order  a  retreat.  Count 
d'Estaing,  and  Count  Pulaski,  were  both  wounded ;  the  former 
slightly,  the  latter  mortally.  Six  hundred  and  thirty-seven 
of  the  French,  and  upwards  of  200  of  the  continentals  and 
militia,  were  killed  or  wounded.  The  damage  sustained  by 
the  British  was  trifling.  Immediately  after  this  unsuccessful 
assault,  the  militia  retired  to  their  homes  ;  Count  d'Estaing 
reembarkedhis  troops  and  artillery,  and  sailed  from  Savannah; 
and  General  Lincoln,  recrossi^ig  the  Savannah  river,  returned 
to  South  Carolina. 

The  visit  of  the  French  fleet  to  the  coast  of  America,  fyi 
though  unsuccessful  in  its  chief  object,  was  not  altogetnei 
useless  to  the  United  States.    It  disconcerted  the  measure*  of 


What  is  said  of  the  mi)iHa  ? 

What  blunder  did  d'Estaing  make  ? 

^Vhat  saved  Prevost  ? 

Describe  the  siege. 

The  assault. 

Who  were  wounded  ? 


What  was  the  loss  ? 
AVho    deserted  the   Americans  ? 
Why  ? 

What  was  Lincoln  obliged  to  do  ? 
Of  what  use  was  the  visit  of  the 
French  fleet  to  the  Americans  ? 


ACHlEVEMENtS  OF  PAUL  JONES. 


tne  British^  and  caused  a  considerable  waste  of  time  in  digest- 
ing their  plans  of  operation.  It  also  occasioned  the  evacuation 
of  .Ihode  Island,  which,  however,  was  of  little  importance  to 
the  cause,  as  the  6,000  men  who  were  stationed  there  for  two 
years  and  eight  months,  were  thus  effectually  kept  out  of 
active  service. 

The  paper  money  system  adopted  by  the  contmental  con- 
gress, had  now  begun  to  produce  its  legitimate  effects  of  ruin 
and  distress.  The  bills  were  depreciated  to  about  one- 
thirtieth  of  their  nominal  value.  The  pay  of  the  officers 
and  soldier*  was  insufficient  to  procure  them  clothing.  Con- 
gress finding  its  funds  and  credit  exhausted,  made  a  requisi- 
tion on  the  several  states  for  provisions  and  forage.  Private 
capitalists,  of  whom  Robert  Morris,  Esq.,  of  Philadelphia, 
was  among  the  most  liberal,  made  loans  to  the  government, 
and  loans  were  solicited  in  Europe.  Notwithstanding  these 
expedients,  the  army  was  wretchedly  supplied  ;  and  it  re- 
quired all  the  patriotic  exertions  of  their  officers  to  restrain 
the  men  from  desertion  or  open  revolt.  The  example  o 
their  leaders,  in  cheerfully  submitting  to  severe  hardships 
and  making  sport  of  privations  which  were  any  thing  but 
light,  had  its  effect  in  retaining  the  troops  in  the  service,  and 
making  them  bear,  and  do  their  utmost  for  the  cause  of  their 
country. 

This  year  was  signalised  by  the  most  celebrated  of  the 
achievements  of  Paul  Jones.  In  August  he  sailed  from  France 
in  the  Bon  Homme  Richard,  with  six  other  vessels,  the  whole 
squadron  being  under  his  command.  Having  cruised  success- 
fully off  the  coast  of  Ireland  for  some  time,  he  sailed  with 
the  Pallas,  of  32  guns,  and  the  Vengeance,  of  16  guns,  to 
the  coast  of  Scotland,  captured  several  arm^d  vessels  in  sight 
of  the  port  of  Leith,  and  after  threatening  to  lay  the  town 
under  contribution,  which  threat  he  was  only  prevented  from 
executing  by  a  violent  gale  of  wind  coming  on,  he  again  put 
to  sea. 

A  few  days  after  this  he  fought  his  famous  battle  with  the 
British  frigate  Serapis.  On  the  23d  of  September,  1779,  at 
/even  o'clock  in  the  evening,  the  encounter  took  place  off 
^^imborough-head,  on  the  coast  of  England,  and  the  moon 
'^'hining  brightly  at  the  time,  the  action  was  witnessed  by 
inousands  of  spectators  assembled  on  the  shoro.  The  Serapis 


What  is  said  of  the  paper  money  I  Of  the  patriotic  behaviour  of  capi- 
system  ?  I     talists,  officers,  and  men  ? 


^64 


CAPTURE   OF  THE  SERAP18. 


was  a  new  ship,  with  44  guns,  and  a  select  crew.    In  ever} 

respect  she  was  far  superior  to  the  Bon  Homme  Richard 
The  action  commenced  with  a  broadside  from  the  Serapis, 
and  raged  with  unremitting  fury  till  the  bowsprit  of  the  British 
vessel  coming  over  the  poop  of  the  Bon  Homme  Richard  by 
her  mizen  mast,  Jones  himself  seized  the  ropes  that  hung 
from  the  bowsprit,  and  made  them  fast  to  his  own  ship  The 
Serapis  now  swung  round,  so  as  to  lie  alongside  the  Ame- 
hcan  vessel,  with  the  stern  of  one  close  to  the  bow  of  the 
other.  The  battle  was  then  renewed  with  increasing  fury, 
and  lasted  till  half  past  ten  o'clock,  when  the  enemy's  main- 
mast going  by  the  board,  he  struck  his  colours. 

The  details  of  the  battle  surpass  any  thing  in  the  records 
of  naval  warfare  for  determined  bravery  and  perseverance. 
The  Bon  Homme  Richard  v/as  actually  in  a  sinking  state 
when  the  battle  ended  ;  and  there  was  hardly  time  allowed 
to  take  out  the  wounded  men,  before  she  went  down. 

When  the  Serapis  first  hove  in  sight,  she,  in  company 
with  the  Countess  of  Scarborough,  a  ship  of  20  guns,  was 
convoying  a  large  fleet  of  merchantmen ;  and  while  the  action 
with  the  Bon  Homme  Richard  was  going  on,  the  Pallas  er- 
gaged  and  captured  the  Countess  of  Scarborough. 

Jones  was  honoured  with  the  most  unlimited  confidence 
by  congress,  and  received  many  marks  of  favour  from  tha 
body,  as  well  as  from  the  king  of  France. 

The  campaign  of  1779,  was  productive  of  no  decisive 
events.  The  Americans  seem  to  have  counted  too  much  on 
the  aid  of  their  new  allies,  and  to  have  exerted  themselves 
but  feebly  in  endeavouring  to  rid  the  country  of  its  enemies ; 
and  yet  they  were  bitterly  disappointed,  when  at  the'  end  of 
the  season  it  was  found  that  little  or  nothing  had  been  ac- 
complished towards  bringing  the  war  to  a  close.  The  army 
was  dispirited  by  defeat ;  and  many  of  the  citizens  began  to 
despair  of  the  fortunes  of  the  country.  But  the  hardier 
spirits,  the  leaders  in  council  and  in  the  field,  took  heart 
when  they  recollected  that  the  enemy  had  effected  little 
except  the  over-running  and  plundering  an  extensive  tract^ 
of  territory ;  and  that  after  all  their  battles,  and  maraud- 
ing expeditions,  they  had  been  compelled  to  return  to  as 
narrow  encampments  as  they  had  occupied  before  the 
campaign  commenced. 


What  is  said  of  Paul  Jones's  vie-  I  What  is  said  of  the  campaign  of 

tory?  I  177.0^ 

Desci-ibe  the  battle.  ♦ 


illBOS  OF  CHARlRrrOfl 


CHAPTER  XXX 

CAMPAIGN  OF  1780. 

Recent  events  in  the  southern  country  had  convinced  Sir 
Henry  Clinton  of  the  weakness  of  that  portion  of  the  Union 
and  had  pointed  it  out  as  the  proper  theatre  of  war.  Leaving 
therefore,  the  command  of  the  royal  army  in  New  York,  to 
General  Knipbausen,  on  the  26th  of  December,  1779,  he 
sailed  from  that  city  with  a  considerable  force,  and  after  a 
stormy  passage,  on  the  11th  of  the  ensuing  month  he  arrived 
at  Tybee  in  Georgia,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Savannah  river. 
Hence  he  proceeded  to  Ashley  river,  and  encamped  opposite 
to  Charleston. 

On  his  arrival,  the  assembly  of  the  state  of  South  Carolina 
broke  up  its  sitting,  after  having  once  more  delegated  a  dic- 
tatorial authority  to  governor  Rutledge,  who  immediately 
issued  his  orders  for  the  assembling  of  the  militia.  Thes^e 
orders  were  not  promptly  obeyed.  The  disasters  of  ihe  las< 
campaign  had  damped  the  ardour  of  patriotism,  and  each  man 
seemed  to  look  to  his  neighbours  for  those  exertions  which 
might  have  been  justly  expected  from  himself. 

On  reconnoitering  the  works  of  Charleston,  however.  Sir 
Henry  Clinton  did  not  deem  it  expedient  to  attack  them  till 
lie  had  received  reinforcements  from  New  York  and  Sa- 
vannah. These  soon  arrived,  and  he  proceeded  to  open  the 
siege  in  form. 

Charleston  is  situated  on  a  tongue  of  land,  bounded  on  the 
^est  by  Ashley,  and  on  the  east  by  Cooper  river.  The  ap 
proach  to  Ashley  river  was  defended  by  Fort  Moultrie,  erect* 
ed  on  Sullivan's  island  ;  and  the  passage  up  Cooper  river 
was  impeded  by  a  number  of  vessels  sunk  in  the  channel, 
Dpposite  the  town.  On  the  land  side,  the  place  was  defended 
by  a  citadel  and  strong  lines,  extending  from  river  to  river 

Before  these  lines  Clinton  broke  ground  on  the  29th  of 


When  did  Sir  Henry  Clinton  arrive 
in  Savannah  ? 

Where  did  he  soon  after  encamp  ? 

What  measure  was  taken  by  the  as- 
sembly of  South  Carolina  ? 

By  governor  Rutledge  ? 


By  the  people  ? 

What  was  now  done  by  Clinton  f 
Describe  the  situation  and  defenetf 

Of  Charleston. 
Describe  the  opening  and  progross  vd 
the  siege. 


266 


CAPITUtAtlON  OF  CHARLESION. 


Marcn,  and  on  the  10th  ol  April,  he  completed  his  first 
parallel.  On  the  preceding  day,  Admiral  Arbuthnot,  who 
commanded  the  British  fleet,  had  passed  Fort  Moultrie  with 
httle  loss,  and  had  anchored  near  the  town.  About  the  20th 
of  April  the  British  commander  received  a  second  reinforce- 
ment of  3,000  men ;  and  the  place  was  soon  completely  in* 
vested  by  sea  and  by  land — his  third  parallel  being  advanced 
to  the  very  edge  of  the  American  works 

General  Lincoln,  who  commanded  the  American  garrison 
in  Charleston,  would  not  have  shut  himself  up  in  the  town, 
if  he  had  not  confidently  expected  reLef  from  the  militia, 
who  had  been  called  out  by  governor  Rutledge,  and  by  whose 
assistance  he  had  hoped  if  reduced  to  extremity,  to  have 
effected  a  retreat  across  Cooper  river.  But  the  few  who,  in 
this  hour  of  difficulty,  advanced  to  his  aid,  were  cut  off  or 
kept  in  check ;  and  the  river  was  possessed  by  the  enemy. 

In  these  distressful  circumstances,  after  sustaining  a  bom- 
bardment which  set  the  town  on  fire  in  different  places,  on 
the  12th  of  May  he  surrendered  on  a  capitulation,  the  prin- 
cipal terms  of  which  were,  that  '  the  militia  were  to  be  per- 
mitted to  return  to  their  respective  homes,  as  prisoners  on 
parole,  and  while  they  adhered  to  their  parole,  were  not  to  be 
molested  in  their  persons  or  property.'  The  same  condi- 
tions were  also  imposed  on  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  town, 
civil  as  well  as  military. 

Sir  Henry  Clinton  now  addressed  himself  to  the  business 
of  re-establishing  the  royal  authority  in  the  province,  as  a  pre- 
liminary step  to  which,  on  the  first  of  June  he  issued  a  pro- 
clamation, offering  to  the  inhabitants,  on  condition  of  their 
submission,  pardon  for  their  past  offences,  a  reinstatement  in 
their  rights,  and  what  was  remarkable,  a^  indicating  the  low- 
ered tone  of  the  ministry,  exemption  from  taxation  except  by 
their  own  legislature. 

This  proclamation  was  followed  up  by  the  posting  of  gar 
risons  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  to  protect  the  tories 
And  overawe  the  patriots,  and  by  the  march  of  2,000  men 
towards  North  Carolina.  On  their  advance,  the  American 
troops,  who  had  marched  from  that  province  too  late  for  the 
relief  of  Charleston,  retreated  with  the  loss  of  a  party  of  near 


What  IS  said  of  Teneral  Lincoln  ? 
What  was  his  situation  ? 
On  what  terms  did  he  surrender  the 
tx)wn  f 


What  was  now  done  by  Sir  Heniy 

Clinton  ? 

What  terms  did  he  offer  Ut  the  pM< 

pie  of  South  Carolma  ? 
What  followed  the  pixKlamatiOB  f 


CONDITION  OF  SOUTH  CAROLiNA. 


261 


4(0  men  who  were  barbarously  massacred,  after  surrendering 
io  Colonel  Tarleion  at  the  Waxhaws.* 

Thus  completely  successful,  Clinton,  early  in  June,  em- 
barked with  the  principal  part  of  his  forces,  for  New  York, 
aaving  delegated  the  completion  of  the  subjugation  of  South 
Carolina  to  Lord  Cornwallis,  with  whom  he  left  for  that 
purpose  an  army  of  4,000  men. 

When  Lord  Cornwallis  assumed  the  command  in  South 
Carolina,  the  Americans  had  no  army  in  the  field  within  400 
miles  of  that  province,  and  the  principal  part  of  the  inhabit- 
ants had  submitted  either  as  prisoners  or  as  subjects.  Had 
they  been  suffered  to  remain  in  this  state  of  quiet  neutrality 
they  would  have  adhered  to  their  parole  of  honour,  ano 
awaited  the  issue  of  the  contest  in  the  northern  states. 

But  his  lordship's  instructions  did  not  permit  him  to  be 
contented  with  this  passive  obedience,  and  he  proceeded  to 
take  measures  to  compel  the  South  Carolinians  to  take  up 
arms  against  their  countrymen.  For  this  purpose,  he  issued 
a  proclamation,  absolving  from  their  parole,  all  the  inhabitants 
who  had  bound  themselves  by  that  obligation,  and  restoring 
them  *  to  all  the  rights  and  duties  belonging  to  citizens.' 

What  was  meant  by  the  ominous  word  '  duties^  was  ex- 
plained by  another  part  of  the  proclamation,  whereby  it  was 
declared,  '  that  it  was  proper  for  all  persons  to  take  an  active 
part  in  settling  and  securing  his  majesty's  government,  and 
that  whoever  should  not  do  so,  should  be  treated  as  rebels.' 

The  Carolinians  were  highly  indignant  at  the  treacherous 
and  unprincipled  violation  of  the  terms  of  their  submission. 
Many  of  them  justly  considering  the  contract  to  be  broken 
by  this  proceeding  of  the  British  commander,  instantly  re- 
sumed their  arms  ;  and  though  more,  under  the  impression 
of  fear,  enrolled  themselves  as  subjects,  they  brought  to  the 
cause  a  hollow-hearted  allegiance  which  could  not  be  trusted 
in  the  day  of  trial.  Large  numbers  quitted  the  province,  and 
hastened  to  join  the  army  which  congress  was  raising  for  the 
purpose  of  recovering  South  Carolina,  and  others  forming 
Ihemselves  into  small  bands,  commenced  a  system  of  partisan 


Whither  did  Clinton  then  go  ? 
Who  succeeded  him  at  Charleston  ? 
What  was  now  the  condition  of  South 

Carolina  ? 
What  did  Cornwallis  declare  in  his 

proclamation  ? 


What  did  he  require  ? 

What  was  the  consequence  of  tott 

treachery  ? 
What  kind  of  warfare  was  low  cotti- 

menced  in  the  South  ? 


•  This  massacre  gave  a  much  more  sanguinar}  turn  to  the  war  in  the  loiitlv 
Tarleton 'a  quarters'  became  proverbial,  and  in  the  subsequent  hattlef, 
venge  gave  a  keener  edge  to  the  just  resentment  of  tne  patriots. 


268 


GATES^S  MARCH    lO  THE  SOUTH. 


M'arfare  whicn,  for  a  long  time,  spread  terror  and  desolation 
through  the  southern  country. 

This  partisan  war  commenced  on  the  12th  of  July,  two 
months  after  the  fall  of  Charleston,  when  133  of  Colonel 
Sumter's  corps  attacked  and  routed  a  detachment  of  the  royal 
forces  and  militia  at  Williamson's  plantation.  This  succesi 
brought  in  new  volunteers,  and  Sumter  soon  found  himself  at 
llie  head  of  600  men.  With  this  increase  of  force  he  ma^e 
a  sjiirited  attack  on  a  party  of  the  British  at  Rocky  Mount, 
but  as  they  were  entrenched,  and  ne  had  no  artillery,  he  was 
obliged  to  retreat.  Determined  to  keep  his  militia  employed, 
he  next  attacked  another  royal  detachment  consisting  of  the 
Prince  of  Wales's  regiment,  and  a  large  body  of  tories,  posted 
at  Hanging  Rock.  The  Prince  of  Wales's  regiment  was 
nearly  annihilated,  being  reduced  from  278  to  9.  The  tories 
were  dispersed. 

A  body  of  Maryland  and  Delaware  troops  sent  forward  in 
March  for  the  relief  of  Charleston,  under  the  command  of 
Baron  de  Kalb,  had  been  delayed  and  had  only  reached  Peters- 
burg on  the  16th  of  April.  General  Gates,  whose  victory  at 
Saratoga  had  given  him  a  brilliant  reputation,  was  ordered  by 
congress  to  take  command  of  this  force,  and  the  chief  direc- 
tion of  the  southern  campaign.  On  joining  the  army,  in 
North  Carolina,  Gates  was  advised  by  De  Kalb  to  proceed  by 
a  circuitous  route,  to  the  southward,  where  he  would  find 
plenty  of  provisions  ;  but  conceiving  it  to  be  his  duty  to  hasten 
with  all  speed  to  the  scene  of  action,  he  preferred  the  straight 
forward  road  to  Camden,  which  led  through  a  desert  pine 
barren. 

In  traversing  this  dreary  tract  of  country,  his  forces  were 
exhausted  with  fatigue  and  hunger.  The  few  cattle  which 
his  commissariat  had  provided  having  been  consumed,  his 
only  resource  for  meat  was  the  lean  beasts  which  were  acci* 
dentally  picked  up  in  the  woods.  Meal  and  grain  were  also 
very  scarce  ;  and  as  substitutes  for  bread,  the  soldiers  were 
obliged  to  have  recourse  to  the  green  corn  and  fruits  which 
they  met  with  on  their  line  of  march.  The  consequence  of 
unwonted  diet  was,  that  the  army  was  thinned  by  dysentery 
and  other  diseases  usually  caused  by  the  heat  of  the  weather 
and  by  unwholesome  food. 


What  was  the  commencement  of  this 

new  kind  of  war  ? 
What  was  the  efl'ect  of  Surr  cer's  first 

success  ? 
What  was  his  next  movement  ? 


His  next  success  ? 

Who  now  took  command  of  tbt 

southern  army  ? 
What  hardships  were  endured  by  thi 

soldiers  in  their  march  southward  < 


OPERATIONS  OF  GENERAL  GATES 


969 


The  soldiers  at  first  bore  these  hardships  with  imj-atience, 
and  symptoms  of  dissatisfaction  and  even  of  mutiny  begar  to 
appear  amongst  them.  But  by  the  conciliatory  exertions  of 
the  officers,  who  shared  in  all  the  privations  of  the  common 
men,  the  spirit  of  murmuring  was  repressed,  and  the  troops 
pursued  their  weary  march  with  patience  and  even  with  cheer- 
fulness. 

On  their  arrival  at  the  place  called  Deep  creek,  their  dis- 
tresses were  alleviated  by  a  supply  of  good  beef,  accompanied 
by  a  distribution  of  half  a  pound  of  Indian  corn  meal  to  each 
man.  Invigorated  by  this  welcome  refreshment,  they  pro- 
ceeded to  the  cross  roads,  where  they  were  joined  by  a  re- 
•pectable  body  of  militia  under  the  command  of  General 
Caswell. 

Though  Gates  was  aware  that  another  body  of  militia  was 
hastening  to  his  assistance  from  Virginia,  he  was  prevented 
from  waiting  for  their  arrival  by  want  of  provisions,  and,  after 
staying  for  one  day  only  at  the  cross  roads,  finding  that  the 
enemy  intended  to  dispute  his  passage  at  Lynch's  creek,  he 
marched  to  the  right  towards  Clermont,  where  the  British 
had  established  a  defensible  post.  On  his  approach  to  the 
latter  place,  however.  Lord  Rawdon,  who  commanded  the 
advance  of  the  British,  concentrated  all  his  forces  at  Camden, 
whilst  Gates  mustered  the  whole  of  his  army  at  Clermont, 
which  is  distant  from  Camden  about  13  miles. 

These  events  occurred  on  the  13th  of  August,  and  on  the 
next  day  the  American  troops  were  reinforced  by  a  body  of 
700  of  the  Virginia  militia  under  General  Stevens.  At  the 
same  time  Gates  received  an  express  from  Colonel  Sumter, 
who  reported  that  he  had  been  joined  by  a  number  of  the 
outh  Carolina  militia,  at  his  encampment  on  the  west  side 
jf  the  Wateree,  and  that  an  escort  of  clothing,  ammunition, 
and  other  stores  belonging  to  the  British  was  proceeding  from 
Charleston  to  Camden,  and  must  of  necessity,  on  its  way  to 
its  destination,  cross  the  Wateree  at  a  ferry  about  a  mile  from 
that  place. 

On  receiving  this  intelligence.  Gates  sent  forward  a  det-ach 
inent  of  the  Maryland  line,  consisting  of  100  regular  infantry 


How  were  the  soldiers  reconciled  to 

these  hardshii)S  ? 
Where  were  they  relieved,  and  where 

reinforced  ? 
Where  did  Lord  Rawdon  concentrate 

bis  forces  f 


23* 


Where  did  General  6ate»  mustei  hif 

army  ? 

What  further  reiiforcement  did  ha 
receive  ? 

What  intelligence  did  he  receive  from 

Sumter  ? 
What  use  did  he  make  of  it  ? 


270 


BATTLE  OF  CAMDEN. 


and  a  company  of  artillery,  with  two  brass  fieldj  ieces,  and 
300  North  Carolina  militia,  all  under  the  command  of  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel  Woodford,  who  was  instructed  to  join  Sumter, 
and  assist  him  in  intercepting  the  convoy. 

At  the  same  time,  Gates  made  preparations  for  advancing 
Btill  nearer  to  Camden,  in  the  expectation  that,  if  Lord  Raw- 
don  did  not  abandon  that  post  as  he  had  done  that  of  Cler- 
mont, his  supplies  would  be  cut  off  by  the  body  of  militia  that 
were  expected  to  pour  forth  from  the  upper  counties,  and  he 
would  thus  be  compelled  to  a  surrender. 

On  reaching  the  frontiers  of  South  Carolina,  Gates  had 
issued  a  proclamation,  inviting  the  inhabitants  to  join  his 
standard,  and  offering  an  amnesty  to  such  of  them  as,  under 
the  pressure  of  circumstances,  had  promised  allegiance  to  the 
British  government.  Though  this  proclamation  had  not  been 
without  effect,  it  had  not  called  forth  the  numbers  upon  which 
the  American  general  had  been  led  to  calculate,  and  after  the 
departure  of  Woodford's  detachment,  Gates  could  muster  no 
more  than  between  4,000  and  5,000  disposable  men. 

Determined,  nevertheless,  to  persevere  in  his  plan  of  offen- 
sive operations,  he  marched,  about  10  at  night,  on  the  15th 
of  August,  to  within  half  a  mile  of  Sander's  creek,  about  half- 
way between  his  encampment  and  Camden.  Lord  Cornwal- 
lis,  who,  the  day  before,  had  repaired  to  his  head  quarters  a' 
Camden,  and  had  taken  command  of  the  British  army,  was 
also  resolved,  though  his  forces  amounted  to  only  2,000  men, 
of  whom  1,700  were  infantry,  and  300  cavalry,  to  attack  the 
enemy  in  their  camp,  and,  advancing  for  that  purpose  at  half 
past  two  in  the  morning,  encountered  their  advanced  parties 
near  Sander's  creek.  Here  some  firing  took  place,  with 
various  success ;  but  on  the  whole,  the  British  had  the  advan- 
tage in  this  night  encounter,  and  the  militia  were  not  a  little 
dispirited  at  this  result. 

Early  on  the  ensuing  morning  both  armies  prepared  for 
battle.  On  the  side  of  the  Americans,  the  second  Maryland 
brigade  occupied  the  right,  v/hich  was  flanked  by  a  morass; 
the  Virginia  militia  and  the  North  Carolina  infantry,  also 
covered  by  some  boggy  ground,  were  posted  on  the  left, 


What  did  he  expect  ? 

What  had  he  offered  to  the  people  ? 

Did  they  come  i:.  as  freely  as  he  had 
anticipated  ? 

Wha^  was  his  whole  force  after  send- 
ing off  Woodford's  detachment  ? 

Wlao  wived  at  Camden  August  15th  ? 

What  was  his  force  f 


What  did  ht  icsolve  ? 
What  then  took  place  ? 
What  was  the  result  of  the  night  eit 
counter  ? 

How  were  the  Americans  arranged 
for  commencing  the  battle  of  Cann 
den  ? 


BATTLE   OF  CAMDEN. 


271 


whilst  General  Caswell,  with  the  North  Carolina  division  and 
ihe  artillery,  appeared  in  the  centre.  A  corps  de  reserve, 
under  the  orders  of  General  Smallwood,  was  posted  abou. 
300  yards  in  the  rear  of  the  An  erican  line. 

In  arranging  the  British  forces,  Lord  Cornwallis  gave  the 
command  of  the  right  to  Lieutenant  Colonel  Webster,  with 
the  23d  and  33d  regiments  of  foot.  The  left  was  guarded  b} 
some  Irish  volunteers,  the  infantry  of  the  legion,  and  part  ot 
Hamilton's  regiment,  under  the  command  of  Lord  Rawdon, 
The  cavalry  of  the  legion  was  stationed  in  the  rear,  where 
dso  the  7Ist  regiment  was  stationed  as  a  reserve. 

The  respective  armies  being  thus  disposed,  the  action  began 
by  the  advance  of  200  of  the  British  in  front  of  the  American 
artillery,  who  received  them  with  a  steady  fire.  Gates  then 
ordered  the  Virginia  militia  to  advance  under  the  command 
of  Colonel  Stevens,  who  cheerfully  obeyed  the  orders  of  his 
commander  in  chief,  and  when  he  had  led  his  men  within 
firing  distance,  urged  them  to  charge  the  enemy  with  their 
bayonets.  This  portion  of  the  army,  however,  did  not  emu- 
late the  gallantry  of  their  leader. 

Lord  Cornwallis,  observing  their  movement,  ordered  Colo- 
nel Webster  to  attack  them.  This  order  was  obeyed  with  a 
loud  cheer.  Intimidated  by  this  indication  of  determined 
daring,  the  militia  were  panic-struck,  and  the  Virginians  and 
Carolinians  threw  down  their  arms  and  hastened  from  the 
field.  Deserted  by  the  centre  and  left  wing  of  the  army,  the 
continental  troops  of  the  right  wing,  with  the  Baron  de  Kalb 
at  their  head,  maintained  their  position  with  great  firmness. 
They  were  charged  by  Lord  Rawdon,  the  bayonet  was  re- 
sorted to  by  both  parties,  anH  the  conflict  continued  for  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour.  During  this  time  the  regiment  on  the 
left  of  the  second  Maryland  brigade  gained  ground  and  made 
prisoners. 

The  reserve,  having  its  left  exposed,  was  attacked  by  the 
British  left  wing,  under  Webster,  and  thrown  into  some  dis- 
order. The  soldiers,  however,  soon  rallied,  and  renewed  the 
action  with  unimpaired  spirit.  A  second  time,  overpowered 
by  numbers,  they  were  broken,  and  a  second  time  rallied,  so 
as  to  cover  the  flank  of  the  second  brigade,  who  were  stili 
valiantly  fighting,  in  hopes  of  obtaining  the  victory 

The  fire  of  the  whole  British  army  was  now  directed 


The  British  ? 

How  did  tile  action  begin  ? 
What  was  ordered  by  Gates  ? 
Who  obeyed  the  order  ? 


What  caused  the  panic  of  the  militia  \ 
What  is  said  of  the  Amencan  right 

wing? 
The  reserve  ? 


272 


DEATH  OF  BARON  DE  KALB. 


against  these  two  brigades.  They  had  not  yielded  an  'nch 
of  ground,  when  Cornwallis,  observing  that  they  were  with 
out  cavalry,  pushed  his  dragoons  upon  them,  and  at  the  same 
instant  charged  with  the  bayonet.  This  charge  broke  theii 
line :  and  as  they  iid  not  give  way  until  they  were  intermin 
gled  with  the  enemy,  they  dispersed  and  fled  in  confusion. 

Before  they  were  reduced  to  this  last  extremity,  the  Baron 
de  Kalb,  who  fought  on  foot  with  the  Maryland  brigade,  fell 
under  eleven  wounds.  His  aid-de-camp,  Lieutenant  du  Buys- 
son,  received  him  in  his  arms,  announced  his  rank  and  nation 
to  the  surrounding  foe,  and  begged  that  ihey  would  spare  his 
life.  While  thus  generously  exposing  himself  to  save  his 
friend,  he  received  several  wounds,  and,  with  his  general, 
was  taken  prisoner.  The  baron  expired  in  a  few  hours,  and 
spent  his  last  breath  in  dictating  a  letter,  expressing  the 
warmest  affection  for  the  officers  and  men  of  his  division,  and 
the  most  exalted  admiration  of  their  courage  and  good  con- 
duct.* 

The  whole  of  the  baggage  and  artillery  of  the  Americans 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  and  the  fugitives  were  pur- 
sued by  the  British  cavalry  for  the  space  of  20  miles.  So 
complete  was  this  defeat,  that,  on  the  second  day  after  the 
engagement,  General  Gates  could  only  muster  150  of  his 
soldiers  at  Charleston,  a  town  in  the  south  of  North  Carolina, 
whence  he  retreated  farther  north  to  Salisbury,  and  afterwards 
to  Hillsborough. 

To  add  to  the  misfortunes  of  the  Americans,  the  defeat  of 
Gates  was  immediately  followed  by  the  surprise  and  disper- 
sion of  Sumter's  partisan  corps.  This  brave  officer  had  suc- 
ceeded in  capturing  the  convoy  with  the  British  stores,  al- 
ready mentioned  ;  but  hearing  of  Gates's  defeat,  he  began  to 
retreat  with  his  prisoners  and  stores.  Tarleton,  with  his 
legion  and  a  detachment  of  infantry,  pursued  with  such  cele- 
rity as  to  overtake  and  surprise  him  at  Fishing  creek.  All 
the  artillery  and  stores  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  British,  and 
the  whole  detachment  was  either  killed,  captured,  or  dis- 
persed.   Their  prisoners  were,  of  course,  all  retaken. 

The  sickliness  of  the  season  prevented  Lord  Cornwallis 
from  attempting  to  pursue  the  remains  of  General  Gates  h 
array ;  but  he  employed  the  leisure  now  afforded  him  ifl 


How  did  Cornwallis  proceed  ? 
WTiat  was  the  result  ? 
What  is  said  of  de  Kalb  ? 
What  followed  the  battle  ? 


What  prevented  Cornwallis  from  foV 

lowing  up  his  victory  ? 
Uow.did  he  employ  his  leisure  ? 


Marshall. 


gUMMARY    PROCEEDINGS   OP  CORNWALLIS. 


278 


inflicting  vengeance  on  such  of  the  inhabitants  of  South  Ca- 
rolina as  had  been  induced  to  join  the  American  standard. 
The  militia  men  he  doomed  to  the  gallows.  The  property 
of  the  fugitives  and  of  the  declared  friends  of  independence 
he  confiscated ;  and  he  seized  a  number  of  the  most  re- 
spectable citizens  of  Charleston,  and  most  of  the  militaiy 
oflicers  residing  there  under  the  faith  of  the  late  capitulatioa^ 
and  sent  them  to  St.  Augustine. 

Reduced  to  desperation  by  these  injudicious  severities,  the 
bold  and  active  anh^ng  the  patriots  formed  themselves  anew 
into  partisan  bands  under  different  chieftains,  among  whom 
Marion  and  Sumter  were  most  distinguished  by  their  spirit 
and  enterprise.  These  bands  harassed  the  scattered  parties 
of  the  British,  several  of  which  they  cut  off ;  and  by  their 
movements  kept  in  check  the  tories  to  the  north  of  the  Ca- 
rol inas. 

Eight  of  these  leaders  of  partisan  bands,  having  collected 
their  forces  to  the  amount  of  1,600,  made  an  attack  on  Major 
Ferguson  with  his  detachment  of  tories,  and  regulars  on  the 
top  of  King's  mountain,  October  7th.  The  Americans  formed 
three  parties:  Colonel  Lacy  of  South  Carolina  led  one,  which 
attacked  on  the  west.  The  two  others  were  commanded  by 
Colonels  Campbell  and  Cleveland  ;  one  of  which  attacked 
on  the  east,  and  the  other  in  the  centre. 

On  this  occasion,  Colonel  Cleveland  addressed  his  party 
in  a  harangue,  which  we  copy  from  Dr.  Ramsay's  history, 
on  account  of  the  perfect  idea  it  affords  of  the  tactics  of  par- 
tisan warfare.  It  comprises  the  whole  art  of  war  of  a  bush 
fighter. 

'  My  brave  fellows  !  We  have  beat  the  tories,  and  we  can 
beat  them.  They  are  all  cowards.  If  they  had  the  spirit 
of  men,  they  would  join  with  their  fellow  citizens,  in  sup- 
porting the  independence  of  their  country.  When  engaged 
you  are  not  to  wait  the  word  of  command  from  me.  I  will 
show  you  by  my  example  h(  w  to  fight.  I  can  undertake  no 
more.  Every  man  must  consider  himself  as  an  officer,  ana 
act  from  his  own  judgment.  Fire  as  quick  as  you  can,  and 
gtand  as  long  as  you  can.  When  you  can  do  no  better,  get 
behind  trees,  or  retreat ;  but  I  beg  of  you  not  to  run  quite 
off.  If  we  be  repulsed,  let  us  make  a  point  to  return  and 
renew  the  fight.    Perhaps  we  may  have  better  luck  in  the 


Crive  the  particulars.  How  ditl  the  Americans  attack  ? 

How  were  these  measures  revenged  ?    What  was  the  substance  of  Colone' 
Where  did  Major  Ferj^uson  suffer  a       Cleveland's  speech  to  the  men  ? 
defeat  from  tlie  partisan  troops  ?  j 


GENERAL  GATES  SUPERSEDED. 


second  attenpt  than  in  the  first.  If  any  of  you  be  afraid 
such  have  leave  to  retire ;  and  they  are  requested  immediately 
to  take  themselves  off.' 

These  directions  were  literally  followed  in  thie  battle.  Fer- 
guson attacked  them  wil-h  fixed  bayonets,  and  compelled  one 
party  after  another  to  retire  ;  but  they  only  retreated  to  a 
short  distance  and  getting  behind  trees  and  rocks  renewed 
their  fire  in  almost  every  direction.  The  British  being  un- 
covered were  securely  shot  down  by  the  assailants  Fergu- 
son himself  was  killed  and  his  men  were  compelled  to  sur 
render.  Eight  hundred  became  prisoners  and  225  were 
killed  or  wounded. 

This  success  was  followed  by  important  results  Lord 
Cornwallis  had  marched  into  North  Carolina  in  the  direction 
of  Salisbury  ;  but  when  he  heard  of  the  defeat  and  death  of 
Ferguson,  he  retreated  to  Winnsborough  in  the  southern 
province,  being  severely  harassed  in  his  retreat  by  the  militia 
and  the  inhabitants  ;  and  when  he  retired  into  winter  quar- 
ters, Sumter  still  kept  the  field. 

In  the  mean  time  General  Gates  had  collected  another  army, 
with  which  he  advanced  to  Charlotte.  Here  he  received  in- 
telligence that  congress  had  resolved  to  supersede  him,  and 
to  submit  his  conduct  to  a  court  of  inquiry.  This  was  the 
consequence  of  his  defeat  at  Camden  and  of  the  general 
unsuccessful  conduct  of  the  campaign  in  the  south.  Mor- 
tified as  he  was  by  the  withdrawal  of  his  country's  confi- 
dence, on  receiving  the  notification  of  this  resolve  of  the 
supreme  power,  he  dutifully  resigned  his  command.  But  on 
his  way  home  from  Carolina,  his  feelings  were  soothed  by  an 
address  from  the  legislature  of  Virginia,  assuring  him  that 
*  the  remembrance  of  his  former  glorious  services  could  not 
be  obliterated  by  any  reverse  of  fortune.' 

While  these  events  were  occurring  in  the  southern  states. 
General  Washington  was  obliged  to  confine  himself  to  the 
irksome  and  inglorious  task  of  watching  from  his  encamp- 
ment at  Morristown,  the  motions  of  the  British  on  New  "York 
island,  and  of  restraining  their  incursions  into  the  adjacent 
country.  Though  the  army  opposed  to  him  was  lessened 
by  the  detachment  which  Sir  Henry  Clinton  led  into  South 


Describe  the  battle. 
How  many  of  the  British  were  taken  P 
How  many  killed  or  wounded  ? 
What  was  the  consequence  of  this 
battle  to  Cornwallis  and  Sumter  P 
Woskt  is  -<iJa.*«d  of  General  (iates  ? 


Of  the  Virginia  legislature  ? 
Of  General  Washington  ? 
What  was  the  condition  of  his  annj 
and  of  the  enemy's  force  in  mi 

neighbourhood  P 


DISCONTENTS  IN  THE  ARMT. 


276 


Carolina,  his  3wn  forces  were  proportionably  weakened  oy 
ihe  reinfcrcements  which  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  send  to 
the  American  army  in  the  same  quarter ;  and  never  did  dis 
tress  press  more  heavily  upon  him. 

The  depreciation  of  the  currency  was  at  that  time  so  great, 
that  four  months'  pay  of  a  private  would  not  purchase  a 
single  bushel  of  wheat.  His  camp  was  sometimes  destitute 
of  meat  and  sometimes  of  bread.  As  each  state  provided 
.'ts  own  quota  of  troops,  no  uniformity  could  be  established 
in  the  distribution  of  provisions.  This  circums-tance  aggra- 
vated the  general  discontent,  and  a  spirit  of  mutiny  began  to 
display  itself  in  two  of  the  Connecticut  regiments,  which 
were  with  difficulty  restrained  from  forcing  their  way  home 
at  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 

Of  these  discontents  the  enemy  endeavoured  to  take  ad- 
vantage, by  circulating  in  the  American  camp  proclamations 
offering  the  most  tempting  gratifications  to  such  of  the  conti- 
nental troops  as  should  desert  the  republican  colours,  and 
embrace  the  royal  cause.  But  these  offers  were  unavailing ; 
mutinous  as  they  were,  the  malcontents  abhorred  the  thought 
of  joining  the  enemies  of  their  country ;  and  on  the  sea- 
sonable arrival  of  a  fresh  supply  of  provisions,  they  cheer- 
fully returned  to  their  duty. 

Soon  after  this,  when  General  Kniphausen,  who  com- 
manded the  British  forces  in  the  absence  ot  Sir  Henry  Clin- 
ton, made  an  irruption  into  Jersey,  on  the  16th  of  June,  the 
whole  American  army  marched  out  to  oppose  him ;  and 
though  he  was  reinforced  by  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  who,  during 
this  expedition  had  arrived  from  Charleston,  he  was  compelled 
to  measure  back  his  steps.  Both  the  advance  and  retreat  of 
the  German  were  marked  by  the  devastation  committed  by 
his  troops,  who  burnt  the  town  of  Springfield,  and  most  of 
the  houses  on  their  line  of  march. 

Alarmed  by  the  representations  made  by  General  Wash- 
ington, of  the  destitute  condition  of  his  army,  congress  sent 
three  members  of  their  body,  with  instructions  to  inquire 
into  the  condition  of  their  forces,  and  with  authority  to  re- 
form abuses.  These  gentlemen  fully  verified  the  statements 
of  the  commander  in  chief.  No  sooner  was  this  fact  known 
in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  than  a  subscription  was  set  on 
foot  for  the  relief  of  the  suffering  soldiers,  which  soon 


What  occasioned  the  mutinous  dispo- 
sition in  the  array  ? 
What  was  done  by  the  British 
How  wei'e  they  foiled  r 


What  is  said  of  Kniphausen 's  incurs 

sion  into  Jersey  ? 
What  was  done  by  congress  ? 
By  the  citizens  cf  Philadelpbi?  ' 


tliS  ARRIVAL  OF  THE  FRENCH  FLEET. 

amounted  to  $300,000.  This  sum  was  entrusted  to  the  Oig- 
cretion  of  a  well  chosen  committee,  who  appropriated  it  to 
the  purchase  of  provisions  for  the  troops. 

The  commissioners  also  applied  themselves  diligently  to 
the  task  of  recruiting  and  reorganising  the  army.  They  pre 
Bcribed  to  each  state  the  quota  of  forces  which  it  was  to  con- 
tribute towards  the  raising  of  35,000  men,  their  deficiency 
in  regulars  being  to  be  supplied  by  drafts  from  their  respective 
militia.  The  states  of  New  England,  Pennsylvania  and  Vir 
ginia,  promptly  listened  to  the  call  of  their  country,  and  made 
extraordinary  efforts  to  furnish  their  several  quotas  of  recruits. 
The  other  members  of  the  union  exerted  themselves  to  the 
best  of  their  ability  ;  and  although  the  general  result  of  these 
exertions  did  not  produce  the  number  of  troops  which  wah 
deemed  requisite  for  the  public  service,  more  could  not,  in 
such  circumstances,  have  been  expected. 

The  congress  was  the  more  earnest  in  their  wishes  to  put 
their  army  on  a  respectable  footing,  as  they  were  in  exp'^cta- 
tion  of  the  arrival  of  a  body  of  auxiliary  forces  from  France. 
This  welcome  aid  appeared  off  Rhode  Island  on  the  10th  of 
July,  1780,  on  which  day  Monsieur  Ternay  sailed  into  the 
harbour  of  Newport,  with  a  squadron  of  seven  sail  of  the 
line,  five  frigates  and  five  schooners,  convoying  a  fleet  of 
transports,  having  on  board  6,000  men,  under  the  command 
of  the  Count  de  Rochambeau. 

Admiral  Arbuthnot,  who  had  under  his  command  at  New 
York,  only  four  ships  of  the  line,  on  hearing  of  the  arrival 
of  the  French  at  Rhode  Island,  was  apprehensive  of  being 
attacked  by  their  superior  force.  But  he  was  soon  relieved 
from  his  fears  by  the  vigilance  of  the  British  ministry,  who, 
on  the  sailing  of  the  French  fleet  from  Europe,  had  sent  to 
his  assistance  Admiral  Graves,  with  six  ships  of  the  line. 

On  receiving  this  reinforcement,  he  sailed  for  Rhode  Island, 
for  the  purpose  of  encountering  the  French  squadron,  whilst 
Sir  Henry  Clinton  proceeded  with  8000  men  to  the  north  of 
Long  Island,  for  the  purpose  of  landing  on  the  opposite  part 
of  the  continent,  and  attacking  their  land  forces.  But  the 
British  admiral  found  the  French  ships  so  well  secured  by 
batteries  and  other  land  fortifications,  that  he  was  obliged  to 
content  himself  with  blocking  them  up  in  their  harbour ;  and 


What  was  done  by  the  commissioners  ? 
By  the  states  ? 

What  happened  July  10th,  1780  ? 

A'^hat  was  the  French  force  ? 

Who  feared  an  attack  from  the 


How  was  he  saved  ? 

VV^hat  was  done  by  Admiral  Aibutb 

not  ? 

By  Sir  Henry  Clinton  ? 
How  was  Arbuthnot  tojjfid  f 


ARNOLD  S  fREAftON. 


Clifilon,  receiving  intelligence  that  General  Washingtcm  was 
preparing  to  take  advantage  of  his  absence,  by  making  an 
attack  on  New  York,  hastened  back  to  the  relief  of  that  place. 

Washington,  on  the  retreat  of  General  Clinton,  withdrew  to 
West  Point,  an  almost  impregnable  position,  situated  about 
50  miles  to  the  northward  of  New  York,  on  the  Hudson  river, 
by  means  of  which  he  kept  up  a  communication  between  th« 
eastern  and  southern  states.  Having  occasion,  towards  the 
end  of  the  month  of  September  to  go  to  Rhode  Island,  to  hold 
a  conference  with  the  French  admiral  and  Count  Rochambeau, 
he  left  the  command  of  this  important  post  to  General  Arnold, 
unconscious  that  in  so  doing  he  entrusted  the  fortunes  of  the 
infant  republic  to  a  traitor. 

Arnold  was  brave  and  hardy,  but  dissipated  and  profligate 
Extravagant  in  his  expenses,  he  had  involved  himself  in  debts, 
and  having  had,  on  frequent  occasions,  the  administration  of 
considerable  sums  of  the  public  money,  his  accounts  were  so 
unsatisfactory,  that  he  was  liable  to  an  impeachment  on  charges 
of  peculation.  Much  had  been  forgiven,  indeed,  and  more 
would  probably  have  been  forgiven,  to  his  valour  and  military 
skill.  But  alarmed  by  the  terrors  of  a  guilty  conscience,  he 
determined  to  get  rid  of  pecuniary  responsibility  by  betraying 
his  country;  and  accordingly  he  entered  into  a  negotiation 
with  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  in  which  he  engaged,  when  a  proper 
opportunity  should  present  itself,  to  make  such  a  disposition 
of  his  troops  as  would  enable  the  British  to  make  themselves 
masters  of  West  Point. 

The  details  of  this  negotiation  were  conducted  by  Major 
Andre,  the  adjutant  general  of  the  British  army,  with  whom 
Afiiold  carried  on  a  clandestine  correspondence,  addressing 
him  under  the  name  of  Anderson,  whilst  he  himself  assumed 
that  of  Gustavus.  To  facilitate  their  communications,  the 
Vulture  sloop  of  war  was  moved  near  to  West  Point,  and  the 
absence  of  Washington  seeming  to  present  a  fit  opportunity 
/or  the  final  arrangement  of  their  plans,  on  the  night  of  the 
2 1st  of  September,  Arnold  sent  a  boat  to  the  Vulture  to  bring 
Andre  on  shore. 

That  officer  landed  in  his  uniform,  between  the  posts  of  the 
Iwo  armies,  and  was  met  by  Arnold,  with  whom  he  held  a 
conference  which  lasted  till  day-break,  when  it  was  t^o  late 


What  recalled  Clinton  ? 

Where  was  Washington  posted  ? 

To  whom  did  he  entrust  the  pa5st  ? 

On  what  occasion  ? 

What  vai  Ajnold's  character  ? 


What  led  to  his  treasonable  conduct  f 
With  whom  did  he  negotiate  ? 
What  did  he  engage  to  do  ? 
Who  conducted  the  details  of  the  Be' 
gotiation  ? 


278 


(CAPTURE  OF  MAJOR  ANDRE. 


for  him  to  return  to  the  vessel.  In  this  extremity,  on* 
fortunately  for  himself,  he  allowed  Arnold  to  conduct  him 
within  one  of  the  American  posts,  where  he  lay  concealed 
till  ihe  next  night.  In  the  mean  time,  the  Vulture,  having 
been  incommoded  by  an  American  battery,  had  moved  lower 
down  the  river,  and  the  boatmen  now  refused  to  convey  the 
stranger  on  board  her. 

Being  cut  off  from  this  way  of  escape,  Andre  was  advised 
to  make  for  New  York  by  land  ;  and,  for  this  purpose,  he  was 
furnished  with  a  disguise,  and  a  passport  signed  by  Arnold, 
designating  him  as  John  Anderson.  He  had  advanced  in 
safety  near  the  British  lines,  when  he  was  stopped  by  three 
New  York  militia  men,  whose  names  were  Paulding,  Wil- 
liams ^nd  Van  wart.  Instead  of  showing  them  his  pass,  he 
Lsked  them  *  where  they  belonged  to  V  and  on  their  answer- 
ing *  to  below,'  meaning  to  New  York,  with  singular  want  of 
judgment,  he  stated  that  he  was  a  British  officer,  and  begged 
them  to  let  him  proceed  without  delay. 

The  men,  now  declaring  their  real  character,  seized  him; 
and  notwithstanding  his  offer  of  a  purse  of  gold,  a  valuable 
watch,  and  much  larger  bribes  from  his  government,  if  they 
would  release  him,  they  proceeded  to  search  him,  and  found 
in  one  of  his  boots  certain  papers  which  gave  fatal  evidence 
of  his  own  culpability,  and  of  Arnold's  treachery.  These 
papers  were  in  Arnold's  hand  writing,  and  contained  exact 
and  detailed  returns  of  the  forces,  ordinance  and  defences  of 
West  Point,  and  its  dependencies,  with  the  artillery  orders, 
critical  remarks  on  the  works,  an  estimate  of  the  number  of 
men  that  were  ordinarily  on  duty  to  man  them,  and  the  copy 
of  a  state  of  matters  that  had,  on  the  6th  of  the  month,  been 
laid  before  a  council  of  war  by  the  commander  in  chief. 

When  Andre  was  conducted  by  his  captors  to  the  quarters 
of  the  commander  of  the  scouting  parties,  still  assuming  the 
name  of  Anderson,  he  requested  permission  to  write  to  Arnold, 
to  inform  him  of  his  detention.  This  request  was  inconsider 
ately  granted  ;  and  the  traitor  being  thus  apprised  of  his  peril, 
instantly  made  his  escape.  At  this  moment,  Washington 
arriving  at  West  Point,  was  made  acquainted  with  the  whole 
affair.  Having  taken  the  necessary  precautions  for  the  se 
curity  of  his  post,  he  referred  the  case  of  his  prisoner  to  a 
court  martial,  consisting  of  fourteen  general  officers. 


Relate  tne  circumstances  of  Andre's 

capture. 
I^at  did  his  papers  contain  f 


How  did  he  contrive  to  save  Arnold  ? 
What  was  done  hy  Washington  / 


DEATH  OF  MAJOR  ANDRE, 


279 


The  commission  which  was  ordered  to  assemble  on  the 
^9th  of  September,  inchided  a  numerous  and  very  able  board 
of  officers.  English  feeling  at  first  spoke  of  thern  contemp- 
tuously as  men  ignorant  of  the  usages  of  civilized  war. 
Among  them  were  Greene,  second  only  to  Washington  him- 
self in  the  service  ;  Arthur  St.  Clair,  afterward  President  of 
the  Continental  Congress ;  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette,  an 
officer  in  the  French  army ;  the  German  Baron  Steuben, 
from  the  staff  of  Frederick  the  Great ;  Parsons,  Clinton, 
Glover,  Knox,  Huntington — all  men  well  known  for  their  up- 
rightness and  ability  in  civil  and  military  life.  It  was  pre-em- 
itiently  a  liberal  and  generous  court,  and  every  man  upon  it 
felt  the  deepest  sympathy  for  the  unfortunate  English  officer. 

Before  this  tribunal  Andre  appeared  with  steady  composure 
of  mind.  He  voluntarily  confessed  all  the  facts  of  his  case. 
Being  interrogated  by  the  board,  with  respect  to  his  concep- 
tion of  his  commg  on  shore  under  the  sanction  of  a  flag,  he 
ingenuously  replied,  that  '  if  he  had  landed  under  that  pro- 
tection, he  might  have  returned  under  it.'  The  court  having 
taken  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case  into  consideration, 
unanimously  concurred  in  the  opinion  '  that  he  ought  to  be 
considered  as  a  spy  ;  and  that  agreeably  to  the  laws  and 
usages  of  nations,  he  ought  to  suffer  death.' 

Sir  Henry  Clinton,  first  by  amicable  negotiation,  and  after- 
wards by  threats,  endeavoured  to  induce  the  American  com- 
mander to  spare  the  life  of  his  friend ;  but  Washington  did 
not  think  this  act  of  mercy  compatible  with  his  duty  to  his 
country,  and  Andre  was  ordered  for  execution.  He  had 
petitioned  to  be  allowed  to  die  a  soldier's  death,  but  this  re- 
quest could  not  be  granted.  Of  this  circumstance,  however, 
he  was  kept  in  ignorance,  till  he  saw  the  preparations  for  his 
final  catastrophe,  when  finding  that  the  bitterness  of  his 
destiny  was  not  to  be  alleviated  as  he  wished,  he  exclaimed, 
'  It  is  but  a  momentary  pang,'  and  calmly  submitted  to  his  fate. 

No  circumstance  which  occurred  during  the  war  was  more 
trj'ing  to  the  feelings  of  Washington  than  this.  The  nobis 
ingenuousness  of  Andre;  his  disinterested  exertions  to  save 
his  accomplice,  by  sending  him  intelligence  of  his  capture ; 
and  his  firmness  in  the  last  trying  moments,  all  pronounced 
him  worthy  of  a  better  fate.  But  his  having  consented  in  an 
evil  hour  to  assume  the  detestable  character  of  a  spy,  and  bb 


By  Aiidr6  on  his  trial  f 

By  the  court  ? 

By  Sir  Htnij  Clinton  f 


How  did  Andr^  die  ? 
What  remarks  are  made  on  this  af- 
fair? 


^0 


MirriNY  IN  THE  AMERICAN  CAMP. 


agent  in  a  scheme  of  treason,  placed  him  beyond  the  reach 
of  that  mercy  which  the  magnanimous  Washington  would 
have  rejoiced  to  extend,  if  the  safety  of  his  country  would 
have  permitted  it. 

The  treason  of  Arnold  received  the  stipulated  reward. 
was  immediately  appointed  brigadier  general  in  the  service  of 
the  king  of  Great  Britain ;  and,  on  his  promotion  he  had  the 
folly  and  presumption  to  publish  an  address,  in  which  he 
vowed,  that,  being  dissatisfied  with  the  alliance  between  the 
United  States  and  Frnnce,  *  he  had  retained  his  arms  and 
command  for  an  opportunity  to  surrender  them  to  Great 
Britain.'  'i'his  address  was  exceeded  in  meanness  and  inso- 
lence by  another,  in  which  he  invited  his  late  companions  in 
arms  to  follow  his  example.  The  American  soldiers  read 
these  manifestoes  with  scorn ;  and  so  odious  did  the  character 
of  a  traitor,  as  exemplified  in  the  conduct  of  Arnold,  become 
in  their  estimation,  that  *  desertion  wholly  ceased  amongst 
them  at  this  remarkable  period  of  the  war.'* 

Circumstances,  however,  took  place  soon  after  the  discovery 
of  Arnold's  treason,  which  led  that  renegade  to  entertain  de 
lusive  hopes  that  the  army  of  Washington  would  disband 
itself.  The  Pennsylvania  troops,  then  stationed  on  the  Hud- 
son, had  been  enlisted  on  the  ambiguous  terms  of  *  serving 
three  years,  or  during  the  continuance  of  the  war.'  As  the 
three  years  from  the  date  of  their  enrolment  were  expired, 
they  claimed  their  discharge,  which  was  refused  by  the  of 
ficers,  who  maintained  that  the  option  of  the  two  abovemen 
tioned  conditions  rested  with  the  state. 

Wearied  out  with  privations,  and  indignant  at  what  they 
deemed  an  attempt  to  impose  upon  them,  the  soldiers  flew  t© 
arms,  deposed  their  officers,  and  under  the  guidance  of  otkers 
whom  they  elected  in  their  place,  they  quitted  Morristown 
and  marched  to  Princeton.  Here  they  were  solicited  by  the 
most  tempting  oflfers  on  the  part  of  some  emissaiies  sent  by 
Sir  Henry  Clinton,  to  put  themselves  under  the  protection  ol 
the  British  government.  But  they  were  so  far  from  listening 
to  these  overtures,  that  they  arrested  Sir  Henry's  agents,  and 
their  grievances  having  been  redressed  by  the  interpositior  of 


How  was  Arnold  rewarded  for  his 
treason  hy  the  British  ? 

What  was  then  done  by  him  ? 

Whom  lid  he  endeavour  to  cor- 
rupt ? 


What  is  said  of  the  Pennsylvania 

troops  ? 

Of  Sir  Henry  CUnton's  emissaries  ? 

Of  the  mutinous  troops  ? 

How  were  Sir  Henry's  agents  treated  < 


^  Ramsay 


fiSCAFB  OF  BENEDICT  ARmhU 


VIRGINIA  INVADED  BY  ARNOLD. 


a  committee  of  congress,  they  returned  to  their  duty  ;  and  tht 
British  spies,  having  been  tried  by  a  board  of  officers,  were 
condemned  to  death  and  executed. 

A  similar  revolt  of  a  small  body  of  the  Jersey  line  was 
quelled  by  the  capital  punishment  of  two  of  the  ringleaders  of 
the  mutineers.  The  distresses,  which  were  the  chief  cause 
t)f  this  misconduct  of  the  American  soldiery,  were  principally 
occasioned  by  the  depreciation  of  the  continental  currency ; 
which  evil  at  this  period  effected  its  own  cure,  as  the  depre- 
ciated paper  was  by  common  consent,  and  without  any  act  of 
the  legislature,  put  out  of  use  ;  and  by  a  seasonable  loan  from 
France,  and  the  revival  of  trade  with  the  French  and  Spa- 
nish West  Indies,  its  place  was  speedily  supplied  by  hard 
money. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


CAMPAIGN  OF  1781. 


This  was  the  last  campaign  of  the  revolutionary  war.  Its 
events  decided  the  contest  in  favour  of  American  indepen- 
dence. 

Though  the  Spaniards  and  the  Dutch  had  united  with 
France  in  hostility  against  Great  Britain,  she  still,  with  un- 
conquered  spirit,  everywhere  made  head  against  her  foreign 
enemies  ;  and  the  king's  ministers  were  now  more  than  ever 
determined,  by  an  extension  of  combined  measures,  to  reduce 
the  North  American  provinces  to  submission.  The  plan  of 
the  campaign  of  1781,  accordingly,  comprehended  active 
operations  in  the  state  of  New  York,  South  Carolina,  and 
Virginia. 

The  invasion  of  the  last  mentioned  state  was  entrusted  to 
Arnold ;  who,  taking  with  him  a  force  of  1,600  men,  and  a 
number  of  armed  vessels,  sailed  up  the  Chesapeake,  spreading 
terror  and  devastation  wherever  he  came.    An  attempt  to  in- 


What  is  said  of  the  Jersey  troops  ? 

WTiat  was  the  chief  cause  of  discon- 
tent among  the  soldiery  ? 

How  was  it  removed  ? 

What  was  the  state  of  affairs  at  the 
tommencement  of  the  campaign  of 
1781? 


What  wns  the  disposition  of  the  Brt 
tish  ministry  ? 

What  was  their  plan  for  the  cam- 
paign f 

Give  an  account  oi  Araold't  opcn- 

tions. 


24» 


282 


etNERAt  GkEENE  IN   THE  SOUTH. 


lercepl  him  was  made  by  the  Frencli  fleet,  which  sailed  frorti 
Rhode  Island  for  that  purposi^;  bu*  after  an  indecisive  en- 
gagement wiih  the  fleet  of  Admiral  Arbuthnot,  oflf  the  capes 
of  Virginia,  was  obliged  to  return  to  Newport,  leaving  the 
invaded  state  open  to  the  incursions  of  the  British,  who 
making  occasional  advances  into  the  country,  destroyed  an 
immense  quantity  of  public  stores,  and  enriched  themselves 
with  an  extensive  plunder  of  private  property,  at  the  same 
time  burning  all  the  shipping  in  the  Chesapeake  and  its  tri- 
butary streams,  which  they  could  not  conveniently  carry  away 
as  prizes. 

The  Carolinas  also  sufl^ered  severely  by  the  scourge  of  war. 
When  Gates  was  removed  from  the  command  of  the  American 
forces  in  that  district,  he  was  succeeded  by  General  Greene 
to  whose  charge  he  transferred  the  poor  remains  of  his  army, 
which  were  collected  at  Charlotte,  in  North  Carolina,  and 
which  amounted  to  2,000  men.  These  troops  were  imper- 
fectly armed  and  badly  clothed  ;  and  such  was  the  poverty  of 
the  military  chest,  that  they  were  obliged  to  supply  themselves 
with  provisions  by  forced  requisitions  made  upon  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  adjacent  country. 

In  these  circumstances,  to  encounter  the  superior  forces  of 
the  enemy  in  pitched  battle,  would  have  been  madness. 
Greene,  therefore,  resolved  to  carry  on  the  war  as  a  partisan 
officer,  and  to  avail  himself  of  every  opportunity  of  harassing 
the  British  m  detail. 

The  first  enterprise  which  he  undertook  in  prosecution  of 
this  system,  was  eminently  successful.  Understanding  that 
the  inhabitants  of  the  district  of  Ninety-Six,  who  had  submit- 
ted to  the  royal  authority,  were  severely  harassed  by  the 
licensed  acts  of  plunder  committed  by  the  king's  troops  and 
the  loyalists,  he  sent  General  Morgan  into  that  quarter  with 
a  small  detachment,  which  was,  on  its  arrival,  speedily  in 
creased  by  the  oppressed  countrymen,  who  were  burning  for 
revenge. 

Lord  Cornwallis,  who  was  at  this  moment  on  the  point  of 
invading  North  Carolina,  no  sooner  heard  of  this  movement 
than  he  sent  Lieutenant  Colonel  Tarleton,  with  1,100  men, 
to  drive  Morgan  out  of  the  district.  Tarleton  was  an  active 
partisan  ofl[i;er,  ^nd  had  been  as  successful  in  his  various  en- 


What  is  said  of  the  Carolinas  ? 
Who  succeeded  General  Gates  in  the 
south  ? 

What  was  the  coDdition  of  the  south- 
ern Hxmy  ? 


What  was  General  Greene's  plan  of 

operations  ? 
Where  did  he  commence,  and  how  f 
Who  was  sent  to  oppose  Morgan  ? 
Wnat  is  said  of  Tarletoo  ' 


BATTLE  OP  COWPENS. 


283 


counters  with  the  republican  troops,  as  he  had  been  cruel  and 
anguinary  in  the  use  of  his  victories.    His  former  success, 
however,  and  the  superiority  of  his  numbers  to  those  of  Mor- 
gan's forces,  caused  him  too  much  to  despise  his  enemy. 

In  pursuance  of  Lord  Cornwallis's  orders,  he  marched  in 
quest  of  his  antagonist,  and,  on  the  evening  of  the  16th  of 
January,  1781,  he  arrived  at  the  ground  which  General  Mor- 
gan had  quitted  a  few  hours  before.  At  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  he  recommenced  his  pursuit  of  the  Americans, 
marching  with  extraordinary  rapidity  through  a  very  difficult 
country,  and  at  daylight  he  discovered  the  detachment  of 
Morgan  in  his  front.  From  the  intelligence  obtained  from 
the  prisoners  who  were  taken  by  his  scouting  parties,  he 
^earned  that  Morgan  waited  his  attack  at  a  place  called  the 
Cowpens,  near  Pacolet  river. 

If  Tarleton  had  counted  on  surprising  Morgan  by  his  rapid 
and  brilliant  pursuit,  he  was  totally  deceived.  An  hour  be- 
fore daylight,  Morgan,  through  his  excellent  system  of  spies, 
knew  that  Tarleton's  troops  were  within  five  miles  of  his 
camp.  His  men  were  roused  and  fully  impressed  with  the 
necessity  of  coolness  in  the  work  before  them.  Then  they 
breakfasted  quietly,  and  prepared  fof  the  coming  fray,  drawn 
up  in  an  open  wood  between  the  springs  of  two  little  rivulets, 
with  a  slight  ridge  extending  from  one  of  them  to  the  other. 
In  the  wood,  free  from  all  undergrowth,  no  thicket  offered 
covert,  no  swamp  a  refuge  from  cavalry.  Here,  inspired  with 
hope,  and  full  of  confidence  in  their  commander,  their  posi- 
tion, and  themselves,  they  awaited  the  enemy. 

Here  the  American  commander  had  drawn  up  his  little 
army,  two-thirds  of  which  consisted  of  militia,  in  two  lines, 
the  first  of  which  was  advanced  about  200  yards  before  the 
second,  with  orders  to  form  on  the  right  of  the  second,  i\\ 
case  the  onset  of  the  enemy  should  oblige  them  to  retire 
The  rear  was  closed  by  a  small  body  of  regular  cat  airy,  and 
about  forty-five  mounted  militia  men. 

On  the  sight  of  this  array,  Tarleton  ordered  his  troops  to 
form  in  line.  But  before  this  arrangement  was  effected,  that 
officer,  obeying  the  dictates  of  rash  valour  rather  than  those 
of  prudence,  commenced  the  attack,  heading  his  squadron  in 
person.  The  British  advanced  with  a  shout,  and  assailed 
their  adversaries  with  a  well-directed  discharge  of  musketry 
The  Americans  reserved  their  fire  till  the  British  were  withii 


Where  did  he  overtake  Morgan  f       I  What  is  said  of  Tarleton 

How  was  hjis  UttJe  army  drawr  up  ?  |  Describe  the  bat*^Ae  of  Cowpces. 


284 


MORGAN  S  RETR£AT. 


40  o"  50  yards  of  their  ranks,  and  then  poured  among  them 
a  volley  which  did  considerable  execution.  The  British^ 
however,  pushed  on,  and  obliged  the  militia  to  retire  from  the 
field.  They  then  assailed  the  second  line,  and  compeLed  it 
to  fall  back  on  the  cavalry. 

Here  the  Americans  rallied,  and  renewed  the  fight  with 
desperate  valour :  charging  the  enemy  with  fixed  bayonets, 
they  drove  back  the  advance,  and  following  up  their  success, 
overthrew  the  masses  of  their  opponents,  as  they  presented 
themselves  in  succession,  and  finally  won  a  complete  and  de- 
cisive victory.  Tarleton  fled  from  the  bloody  field,  leaving 
his  artillery  and  baggage  in  possession  of  the  Americans 
His  loss  amounted  to  300  killed  and  wounded,  and  500  pri 
soners,  whilst  that  of  the  Americans  was  only  12  killed  and 
60  wounded. 

Immediately  after  the  action,  General  Greene  sent  oflf  the 
prisoners,  under  a  proper  guard,  in  the  direction  of  Virginia  ", 
and  as  soon  as  he  had  made  the  requisite  arrangements,  he 
followed  them  with  his  little  army,  leaving  Morgan  on  the 
Catawba,  watching  the  motions  of  the  enemy. 

On  receiving  intelligence  of  Tarleton's  defeat.  Lord  Corn- 
wallis  hastened  in  pursuit  of  the  victors,  and  forced  his 
marches  with  such  effect,  that  he  reached  the  Catawba  river 
on  the  evening  of  the  day  on  which  Morgan  had  crossed  it ; 
but  here  his  progress  was  for  a  short  time  impeded,  as  a 
heavy  fall  of  rain  had  rendered  the  stream  impassable.  When 
the  waters  subsided,  he  hurried  on,  hoping  to  overtake  the 
Americans  before  they  had  crossed  the  Yadkin  ;  but  when 
he  arrived  at  that  river,  he  found  to  his  mortification,  that 
they  had  crossed  it,  and  had  secured  the  craft  and  boats, 
which  they  had  used  for  that  purpose,  on  the  eastern  bank. 
He,  therefore,  marched  higher  up  the  stream  till  he  found  the 
river  fordable. 

Whilst  he  was  employed  in  this  circuitous  movement 
General  Greene  had  united  his  forces  with  those  of  Morgan, 
at  Guildford  Court-house.  Still,  however,  the  forces  of  the 
American  commander  were  so  far  inferior  to  those  of  the 
enemy,  that^  not  choosing  to  risk  an  engagement,  he  hastened 
straight  onwards  to  the  river  Dan,  whilst  Lord  Cornwallis 
traversing  the  upper  country,  where  the  streams  are  fordable 


What  was  the  result  ? 
The  loss  on  each  side  ? 
Whither  did  Greene  then  march  ? 
iiive  an  account  of  Morgan's  retreat 
yid  Ccin) wallis 's  putsuit. 


Where  did  Greene  unite  his  forr« 

with  those  of  Morgan  ? 
Who  was  pursuing  ham  } 
By  what  ro^te  ? 


GREENERS  RETREAT. 


285 


proceeded,  in  the  hope  that  he  might  gain  upon  the  Ameri- 
cans, so  as  to  overtake  them,  in  consequence  ot  their  being 
obstructed  in  their  progress  by  the  deep  water  below. 

But  so  active  was  General  Greene,  and  so  fortunate  in 
finding  the  means  of  conveyance,  that  he  crossed  the  Dan, 
in  Virginia,  with  his  whole  army,  artillery  and  baggage. 
So  narrow,  however,  was  his  escape,  that  the  van  of  Corn- 
wallis's  army  arrived  in  time  to  witness  the  ferrying  over  of 
his  rear. 

Mortified  as  Lord  Cornwallis  was,  by  being  thus  disap- 
pointed of  the  fruits  of  his  toilsome  march,  he  consoled 
himself  by  the  reflection  that  the  American  army  being  thus 
driven  out  of  North  Carolina,  he  was  master  of  that  state, 
and  was  in  a  condition  to  recruit  his  forces  by  the  accession 
of  the  loyalists,  with  whom  he  had  been  led  to  believe  thai 
it  abounded.  He,  therefore,  summoned  all  true  subjects  o^ 
his  majesty  to  repair  to  the  royal  standard,  which  he  had 
erected  at  Hillsborough.  This  experiment  had  little  success. 
The  friends  of  the  British  government  were  in  general  timid, 
and  diffident  of  his  lordship's  power  ultimately  to  protect 
them.  Their  terrors  were  confirmed,  when  they  learned  that 
the  indefatigable  Greene  had  recrossed  the  Dan,  and  had  cut 
oflT  a  body  of  tories  who  were  on  their  march  to  join  the 
royal  forces,  and  that  he  had  compelled  Tarleton  to  retreat 
from  the  frontier  of  the  province  to  Hillsborough.  For  seven 
days,  the  American  commander  manoeuvred  within  ten  miles 
of  the  British  camp ;  and  at  the  e-nd  of  that  time,  having  re- 
ceived reinforcements  from  Virginia,  he  resolved  to  give  Lord 
Cornwallis  battle. 

The  engagement  took  place  on  the  15th  of  March,  near 
Guildford  Court-house.  The  American  army  consisted  of 
4,400  men,  of  which,  more  than  one-half  were  militia ;  and 
the  British  of  2,400  veterans  ;  after  a  brisk  cannonade  in 
front  the  militia  in  advance  were  thrown  into  some  confu- 
sion by  the  rash  folly  of  a  colonel,  who,  on  the  advance  of 
the  enemy,  called  out  to  an  officer,  at  some  distarice,  that  *he 
would  be  surrounded.'  This  alarm  caused  the  North  Carolina 
militia  to  fly.  The  Virginia  militia,  and  the  continental  troops. 


Where  did  Greene  have  a  narrow 
escape  j" 

How  did  Cornwallis  console  himself  ? 
Whom  did  he  invite  to  join  his 

standard  ? 
What  deterred  tnem  from  doing  so  ? 
What  success  of  General  Greene 

ajtjXD^  them  r 


How  long  aid  he  manoeuvre  neai  the 

British  camp  ? 
What  induced  him  to  give  battle  ? 
Where  and  when  die  the  eos^K^ment 

take  place  ? 
Describe  i* 


BATTLE  or  OUIIDFORD. 


maintained  the  conflict  spiritedly  lor  an  hour  and  a  iialf ;  bn 
tne  discipline  of  the  veteran  Britisli  troops  at  length  pre 
vailed,  and  the  Americans  were  obliged  to  retire  ;  but  only  to 
the  distance  of  three  miles. 

All  the  advantages  of  victory  were  on  the  side  sof  the 
Americans,  for  although  Lord  Cornwallis  kept  the  field,  he 
nad  suffered  such  loss  in  the  action,  that  he  was  unable  to  act 
on  the  offensive  directly  after,  and  was  soon  compelled  tc 
inarch  towards  Wilmington,  leaving  his  sick  and  wounded 
behind  him.  On  this  retreat  he  was  pursued  by  General 
Greene  as  far  as  Deep  river. 

At  Wilmington,  Lord  Cornwallis  made  a  hdt  for  three 
days,  for  the  purpose  giving  his  troops  some  rest ;  and  at  the 
end  of  that  time,  resolving  to  carry  the  war  into  Virginia,  he 
inarched  to  Petersburg,  an  inland  town  of  that  state,  situated 
on  James  river.  Hither  it  was  expected  that  he  would  have 
been  followed  by  the  Americans ;  but  Greene,  being  aware 
that  his  lordship  had  by  this  movement  approached  nearer  to 
the  American  main  army,  and  confident  that  his  movements 
would  be  closely  watched  by  the  Virginia  militia,  after  mature 
consideration,  adopted  the  bold  measure  of  again  penetrating 
into  South  Carolina. 

That  state  was  in  the  military  occupation  of  the  British, 
who  were,  indeed,  harassed  by  the  partisan  troops  of  Marion 
and  Sumter,  but  were  in  such  apparent  strength,  that  there 
was  reason  to  fear  that  the  republicans,  if  not  aided  by  furthei 
support,  would  abandon  the  cause  of  their  country  in  despair. 
The  British  had  formed  chains  of  posts,  which,  extending 
from  the  sea  to  the  western  extremity  of  the  state,  mam- 
tained  a  mutual  communication  by  strong  patrols  of  bodies 
of  horse. 

The  first  of  these  lines  of  defence  was  established  on  the 
Wateree,  on  the  banks  of  which  river,  the  British  occupied 
the  well  fortified  town  of  Camden,  and  Fort  Watson,  situated 
between  that  place  and  Charleston.  I'he  attack  of  the  fort, 
Greene  entrusted  to  Marion,  who  soon  compelled  its  garrison 
to  surrender  on  capitulation. 

In  encountering  Lord  Rawdon,  near  Camden,  Greene  was 
not  so  fortunate.  In  consequence  of  the  unsteadiness  of  a 
few  of  his  troops,  he  was  defeated,  but  moved  off  the  ground 


What  was  the  result  f 
Who  had  the  advantages  of  victory  ? 
What  is  said  of  Cornwallis  ? 
What  icduced  Greene  to  pea^trare 
9iSC»m  into  SoMt^h  C^jroMna  f 


What  was  the  condiUon  of  that  statei 
How  was  it  defended  ? 
Who  took  Fort  Watson  ? 
What  was  the  result  of  Greene'i  «i 
coimter  with  X<or4  Rjawdon  ? 


8IBOE  OF  NINSTY-SIX. 


287 


m  such  good  order,  that  he  saved  his  artUiery,  and  though 
wounded,  he  took  up  a  position,  at  the  distance  of  about  five 
miles  from  Camden,  from  which  he  sent  out  parties  to  inter* 
cept  the  supplies,  of  which  he  was  apprised  tnat  his  antago- 
nist was  in  the  utmost  need. 

In  consequence  of  the  vigilance  of  Greene  in  cutting  oflf 
nis  resources  and  of  the  loss  of  Fort  Watson,  which  had 
been  the  link  of  his  communication  with  Charleston,  Lord 
Rawdon.  after  having  in  vain  endeavoured  to  bring  on  i 
Becond  general  engagement  with  the  Americans,  was  re- 
duced to  the  necessity  of  destroying  a  part  ot  his  baggage, 
and  retreating  to  the  south  side  of  the  river  San  tee.  Thifc 
retrograde  movement  encouraged  the  friends  of  congress  to 
resume  their  arms,  and  hasten  to  reinforce  the  corps  of  Ma 
rion,  who  speedily  made  himself  master  of  the  British  posts 
on  the  Congaree,  the  garrisons  of  which  were  in  generd 
made  prisoners,  whilst  those  who  escaped  that  fate  by  a  timely 
evacuation  of  their  positions,  made  good  their  retreat  to 
Charleston. 

Savannah  river  now  presented  the  last  line  of  defence  hela 
by  the  British,  who  there  possessed  the  town  of  Augusta,  ana 
the  post  of  Ninety-Six.  The  former  of  those  places  were 
attacked  by  Colonel  Lee,  and  after  a  very  obstinate  defence 
on  the  part  of  the  commander.  Colonel  Brown,  it  surrendered 
on  honourable  terms. 

The  important  post  of  Ninety-Six,  commanded  by  Lieute- 
nant Colonel  Cruger,  was  strongly  fortified  and  defended  by 
500  men.  On  reconnoitering  the  place,  General  Greene, 
whose  army  was  not  much  more  numerous  than  the  garrison, 
determined  to  besiege  it  in  form.  He  accordingly  broke 
ground  on  the  25th  of  May,  and  pushed  his  works  with 
such  vigour,  that  he  had  approached  within  six  yards  of  the 
ditch,  and  had  erected  a  mound  30  feet  high,  from  which  his 
riflemen  poured  their  shot  with  fatal  aim  upon  the  opposite 
parapet  of  the  enemy,  who  were  hourly  expected  to  beat  a 
parley. 

But  this  bright  prospect  of  $  access  was  at  once  overclouded 
by  the  arrival  of  intelligence  that  Lord  Rawdon,  having  re- 
ceived reinforcements  from  Ireland,  was  hastening  to  the 
relief  of  his  countrymen  at  the  head  of  2,000  men.  In  thii 
extremity  Greene  made  a  desperate  effort  to  carry  ine  place 


How  did  Greene  afterwards  proceed  P 
To  what  measure  did  he  compel  Lord 

Rawdon  ? 
Wb%t  was  effected  by  Marioa  ? 


Who  took  Augusta  from  the  British ; 
Describe  Greene's  operations  at  Nin«- 
ty-Six. 

What  obliged  him  to  raise  the  negei 


289 


OKEENE  RETREATS. 


by  assault,  but  was  repulsed,  and  evacuating  the  works  whicli 
he  had  constructed  with  so  much  labour,  he  retreated  to  the 
northward,  across  the  Saluda,  whence  he  was  followed  by 
Lord  Rawdon  beyond  the  Ennoree. 

The  feelings  of  the  American  commander  on  seeing  the 
fruit  of  his  toils  thus  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  torn  from 
nis  grasp,  must  have  ^aen  of  a  most  agonising  nature.  But 
Greene  was  gifted  with  an  elasticity  of  s])irit  which  prevented 
him  from  yielding  to  the  pressure  of  misfortune,  and  his  oppo- 
nents seldom  found  him  more  dangerous  than  immediately 
after  suffering  a  defeat.  On  the  present  occasion,  when  some 
df  his  counsellors  advised  him  to  retreat  to  Virginia,  he  firmly 
replied,  *  I  will  recover  South  Carolina,  or  die  in  the  attempt.' 

On  maturely  deliberating  on  the  object  of  the  campaign,  and 
the  relative  situation  of  himself  and  the  enemy,  he  was  well 
aware  that  though  Lord  Rawdon  was  superior  to  him  in  the 
number  as  well  as  the  discipline  of  his  troops,  yet  if  his  lord- 
ship kept  his  army  concentrated,  he  could  afford  no  encourage- 
ment, or  even  protection  to  the  royalists,  and  that  if  it  were 
divided,  it  might  be  beaten  in  detail.  As  he  expected,  the 
British  commander,  finding  he  could  not  bring  him  to  an 
engagement,  took  the  latter  course, '  and  withdrawing  a 
detachment  from  Ninety-Six,  re-established  himself  on  the 
line  of  the  Congaree. 

Within  two  days,  however,  after  his  arrival  at  the  banks 
of  that  river,  he  was  astonished  to  find  his  indefatigable 
enemy  in  his  front,  with  numbers  so  recruited,  that  he  though* 
It  prudent  to  decline  the  battle  which  was  offered  him,  and 
retreated  to  Orangeburgh,  where  he  was  joined  by  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Cruger,  who,  in  the  present  circumstances,  had 
thought  it  prudent  to  evacuate  his  post  at  Ninety-Six.  On 
the  junction  of  the  forces  of  these  two  commanders,  Greene 
retired  to  the  heights  above  Santee,  whence  he  sent  his  active 
coadjutors,  Marion  and  Sumter,  with  strong  scouting  parties, 
to  intercept  the  communication  between  Orangeburgh  and 
Charleston. 

As  a  last  effort  to  maintain  their  influence  in  the  centre  of 
the  state,  the  British  took  post  in  force,  near  the  confluence  of 
the  Wateree  and  Congaree ;  but  on  the  approach  of  Greene 


Whitiier  was  he  obliged  to  retreat  ? 
What  is  said  of  Greene's  feelings  and 

chswacter  ? 
W^hat  was'  the  alternative  o^  Laid 

Ravdon  ? 
«Vhai  course  did  be  take ' 


What  astonished  him  after  his  arrivM 

at  the  Congaree  ? 
Whither  did  he  retreat  ? 
Who  reinforced  him  ? 
Whither  did  Greene  thee  retire  ? 


AFFAIR  OF  COLONEL  HAYNE 


289 


they  retreated  for  the  space  of  40  miles,  and  waited  his 
threatened  attack  at  the  Eutaw  Springs.  Greene  advanced 
with  2,000  men,  to  attack  them.  The  action  was  severe,  and 
the  Americans, both  continental  troops  and  militia  displayed 
the  greatest  intrepidity.  ^  The  British  were  compelled  to 


goners,  was  1,100  men ;  that  of  the  Americans  was  above  500, 
of  which  number  60  were  officers.  After  this  signal  defeat, 
the  British  were  glad  to  abandon  tbe  interior  of  South  Caro- 
lina to  the  victorious  patriots,  and  take  shelter  in  Charleston. 

Of  all  the  incidents  of  the  American  revolutionary  war,  the 
most  brilliant  is  this  campaign  of  General  Greene.  At  the 
head  of  a  beaten  army,  undisciplinea  and  badly  equipped,  he 
entered  the  state  of  South  Carolina,  which  was  occupied,  from 
its  eastern  to  its  western  extremity,  by  an  enemy  much  supe- 
rior to  him  in  numbers,  in  appointments,  and  in  mihtary  ex- 
perience. But  by  his  genius,  his  courage,  and  his  perseve- 
rance, he  broke  their  lines  of  operation,  drove  them  from  post 
to  post,  and  though  defeated  in  the  field,  he  did  not  cease  to 
harass  them  in  detail,  till  he  had'  driven  them  within  the  for- 
tifications of  the  capital. 

Well  did  ne  merit  the  gold  medal  and  the  British  standard 
bestowed  on  him  by  a  vote  of  congress  on  this  occasion.  By 
his  successes  he  revived  the  drooping  spirits  of  the  friends  of 
independence  in  the  southern  states,  and  prepared  the  way  for 
the  final  victories  which  awaited  the  arms  of  his  country  in 
Virginia  and  which  led  to  the  happy  termination  of  the  war. 

Whilst  the  American  commander  was  enjoying  the  honours 
bestowed  upon  him  by  his  grateful  countrymen,  as  the  just 
meed  of  his  valour  and  skill  in  arms,  Lord  Rawdon,  soon  after 
his  return  to  Charleston,  by  an  example  of  severity,  brought 
odium  on  the  British  '^-ause,  and  fired  the  breasts  of  the  conti- 
nentals with  indignation.  Amongst  the  American  officers  who 
distinguished  themselves  in  the  defence  of  South  Carolina  was 
Colonel  Hayne,  a  gentleman  of  fortune,  and  of  considerable 
influence  in  his  neighbourhood.  After  the  capitulation  of 
Charleston,  Hayne  voluntarily  surrendered  himself  to  tht  Bri« 
tish  authorities,  requesting  to  be  allowed  his  personal  libenv 
on  parole.  This  indulgence,  usually  granted  to  officera>  of 
rank,  he  could  not  obtain ;  and  was  told  that  he  must  eithc; 


Where  did  the  British  finally  concen-  What  is  said  of  Greene's  campaign 

trate  and  await  Greene's  attack  ?  in  the  south  ? 

Describe  the  battle  of  Eutaw  Springs.  What  had  he  accomplished? 

Whither  were   the   British  finally  What  is  said  of  liord  Rawdon  ? 


Their  loss,  inclusive  of  pri- 


driven  ? 


Relate  the  affair  of  Colonel  Hayne. 


25 


190 


rORNWALLIS   IN  VIRUfNIA. 


take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  his  Biitannic  mij  esty,  or  submit 
to  close  confinement. 

In  an  evil  hour,  induced  by  family  considerations,  he  chose 
the  former  alternative,  and  signed  a  declaration  of  fealty  to 
George  III,  protesting,  however,  against  the  clause  which  re- 
quired him  to  support  the  royal  government  with  arms  ;  which 
clause  the  officer  who  received  his  submission,  assured  him  it 
was  not  mtended  to  enforce.  The  officer  in  question,  no 
doubt,  in  this  assurance  exceeded  his  authority,  and  Haync 
was  some  time  after  summoned  to  join  the  royal  standard 
Regarding  this  as  a  breach  of  the  contract  into  which  he  hid 
entered  with  the  British,  he  again  took  up  arms  on  the  side  cf 
independence,  and  having  been  taken  prisoner  in  a  skirmish 
with  part  of  the  royal  forces,  he  was,  without  the  formality  o 
a  trial,  ordered  for  execution  by  Lord  Rawdon.  To  the  peti- 
tion of  this  unfortunate  officer's  family,  as  well  as  those  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Charleston,  his  lordship  turned  a  deaf  ear,  and 
Hayne  suffered  as  a  rebel  and  a  traitor.  The  death  of  this 
gallant  soldier  has  left  an  eternal  stigma  on  the  character 
of  Lord  Rawdon.  It  was  a  measure  dictated  by  savage  cruel- 
ty and  revenge  and  founded  on  no  principle  either  of  justice 
or  policy. 

It  has  already  been  related,  that  after  the  battle  of  Guildford^ 
L®rd  Cornvvaliis  marched  to  Petersburg,  in  Viiginia.  His 
lordship  did  not  take  this  step  without  hesitation.  He  well 
knew  the  enterprising  character  of  his  opponent,  and  was  aware 
of  the  probability  of  his  making  an  incursion  into  South  Caro- 
lina. He  flattered  himself,  however,  that  the  forces  which  he 
had  left  in  that  state,  under  the  command  of  Lord  Rawdon, 
would  suffice  to  keep  the  Americans  in  check.  In  this  idea 
he  was  confirmed  by  the  result  of  the  battle  of  Camden,  and 
by  the  receipt  of  intelligence  that  three  British  regiments, 
which  had  sailed  from  Cork,  might  be  expected  speedily  io 
arrive  at  Charleston. 

No  longer  anxious  therefore,  for  the  fate  of  South  Carolina, 
he  determined  to  march  forwards,  in  the  confident  hope  of 
increasing  his  military  renown  by  the  conquest  of  Virginia 
He  accordingly  advanced  with  rapidity  from  Petersburg  to 
Manchester,  on  James  River,  with  a  view  of  crossing  ove/ 
frorn  that  place  to  Richmond,  for  the  purpose  of  seizing  a 
»arge  quantity  of  stores  and  provisions,  which  had  been  de- 


thcr  had  Comwallis  marched  ? 
did  he  not  pursue  Greene  P 
did  he  expect  to  accomplish  ? 


Whither  did  he  march  f 
For  what  purpoie  f 


CORNWALLIS  OCCrPIES  YORKTOWN. 


posited  there  by  thewVmericans.  But  on  his  arrival  at  Man* 
Chester,  he  liad  the  mortification  to  find  that,  on  the  day  before 
this  depot  had  been  removed  by  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette 
who,  at  the  command  of  congress,  had  hastened  from  the  head 
of  the  Elk  to  oppose  him. 

Having  crossed  James  River  at  Westow,  his  lordship 
marched  through  Hanover  county  to  the  South  Anna  River, 
followed  at  a  guarded  distance  by  the  marquis,  who,  in  thii 
critical  contingency,  finding  his  forces  inferior  to  those  of  the 
enemy,  wisely  restrained  the  vivacity  which  is  the  usual  cha- 
racteristic of  his  age  and  country.  But  having  effected  a  junc- 
tion with  General  Wayne,  which  brought  his  numbers  nearly 
to  an  equality  with  those  of  the  British,  and  having  once  more, 
by  a  skilful  manoeuvre,  saved  his  stores,  which  had  been  re- 
moved to  Albemarle  old  Court-house,  he  displayed  so  bold  a 
front,  that  the  British  commander  fell  back  to  Richmond,  and 
thence  to  Williamsburgh, 

On  his  arrival  at  the  latter  place.  Lord  Cornwallis  received 
despatches  from  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  requiring  him  to  send  in- 
stantly from  his  army  a  detachment  to  the  relief  of  New  York, 
which  was  threatened  with  a  combined  attack  by  the  French 
and  the  Americans,  The  consequent  diminution  of  his  force 
induced  his  lordship  to  cross  James  River,  and  to  march  in 
the  direction  of  Portsmouth.  Before,  however,  the  reinforce- 
ments destined  for  New  York  had  sailed,  he  received  counter 
orders  and  instructions  from  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  in  pursuance 
of -which  he  conveyed  his  army,  amounting  to  7,000  men,  to 
Yorktown,  which  place  he  proceeded  to  fortify  with  the  ut- 
most skill  and  industry. 

The  object  of  Lord  Cornwallis  in  thus  post.'rg  himself  at 
Yorktown,  was  to  co-operate  in  the  subjugation  of  Virginia 
with  a  fleet  which  he  was  led  to  expect  would  about  this  time 
proceed  from  the  West  Ind'es  to  the  Chesapeake.  Whilst 
his  lordship  was  anxiously  If  oking  for  the  British  pennants, 
he  had  the  mortification,  on  the  30th  of  August,  to  see  the 
Count  de  Grasse  sailing  up  the  bay  with  28  sail  of  the  line 
three  of  which,  accompanied  by  a  proper  number  of  frigates, 
were  immediately  despatched  to  block  up  York  river. 


WTio  disappointed  him,  and  in  what 

manner  ? 
Whither  did  he  then  march  ? 
Who  followed  him  ? 
What  compelled  Cornwallis  lo  retreat, 

in  his  turn  ? 


What  orders  did  he  receive  fron  Sn 

Henry  Clinton  ? 
Whither  did  he  p  roceed  when  these 

orders  were  countermanded  ? 
What  was  his  object  ? 
Whom  did  he  expect  to  assist  him  t 
Who  sailed  up  the  river  Au^st  30t]|/ 


292        PREPARATIONS  FOR  tHE  SltUE  OF  NEW  YORK. 


The  French  vessels  had  no  sooneiv  anchored,  than  the^ 
landed  a  force  of  3,200  men,  who,  under  the  command  ol  the 
•Marquis  of  St.  Simon,  effected  a  junction  with  the  army  of 
La  Fayette,  and  took  post  at  Williamsburgh.  Soon  after  thi« 
operation,  the  hopes  of  the  British  were  revived  by  the  ap 
pearance  off  the  capes  of  Virginia,  of  Admiral  Graves,  with 
20  sail  of  the  line,  a  force  which  seemed  to  be  competent  tc 
extricate  Lord  Cornwallis  from  his  difficult  position.  These 
hopes,  however,  proved  delusive. 

On  the  7th  of  September,  M.  de  Grasse  encountered  tne 
British  fleet,  and  a  distant  fight  took  place,  in  which  the 
French  seemed  to  rely  more  on  their  manoeuvring  than  on 
their  valour.  The  reason  of  this  was  soon  apparent.  In  the 
course  of  the  night  that  followed  the  action,  a  squadron  of  8 
line  of  battle  ships,  safely  passed  the  British,  and  joined  De 
Grasse,  in  consequence  of  which  accession  of  strength  to  his 
antagonist.  Admiral  Graves  thought  it  prudent  to  quit  that  part 
of  the  coast,  and  retire  to  New  York.  This  impediment  tc 
their  operations  having  been  removed,  the  Americans  and 
French  directed  the  whole  of  their  united  efforts  to  the  capture 
of  Yorktown. 

This  had  not,  however,  been  the  original  design  of  General 
Washington  at  the  commencement  of  the  campaign.  Early 
in  the  spring,  he  had  agreed  with  Count  Rochambeau  to  lay 
siege  to  New  York,  in  concert  with  aF'rench  fleet  which  was 
expected  to  leach  the  neighbourhood  of  Staten  Island  in  the 
month  of  August.  He  had  accordingly  issued  orders  for  con- 
siderable reinforcements,  especially  of  militia,  to  join  his  army 
in  proper  time  to  commence  the  projected  operations. 

The  French  troops  under  Rochambeau  having  arrived  punc^ 
tually  at  his  encampment  near  Peekskill,  General  Washing- 
ton advanced  to  King's  Bridge,  and  hemmed  in  the  British 
on  York  Island.  Every  preparation  seemed  now  to  be  ia 
forwardnesis  for  the  commenc  ^ment  of  the  siege ;  but  the 
militia  came  in  tardily.  The  aujacent  states  were  dilatory  in 
sending  in  their  quotas  of  troops ;  and  whilst  he  was  im 
patiently  awaiting  their  arrival,  Washington  had  the  mortifica- 
tion to  leceive  intelligence  thai  Clinton  had  received  a  re- 
u  *'">'*cement  of  3,000  Germans. 


What  force  did  the  French  land? 
Who  attempted  to  relieve  the  Eng- 
lish? 

What  Naval  operations  prevented 
this? 

What  were   the   Americans  and 

French  then  enabled  to  do?  I  receive? 

What  had  Washington  originally  I 

intended  to?  J 


Who  was  to  assist  him? 
What  progress  was  made  towards 
beginning  the  siege  of  New  York? 
What  hindered  AVashington's  oper- 
ations? 

What  reinforcements  did  Clinton 


! 

i 


ARNOLD  VIEWING  THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  TSMW  LONDON. 


WASHINGTON  Marches  sotJTH. 


Whilst  his  mind  was  agitated  by  this  disappointment,  and 
chagrined  by  that  want  of  zeal  on  the  part  of  the  middle  states 
which  he  apprehended  could  not  but  bring  discredit  on  his 
country  in  the  estimation  of  his  allies,  he  was  relieved  from 
his  distresses  by  the  news  of  the  success  of  Greene  in  driving 
Lord  Cornwallis  into  Yorktown;  and  at  the  same  time  learn- 
ing that  the  destination  of  Count  de  Grasse  was  the  Chesa- 
peake, and  not  Staten  Island,  he  resolved  to  transfer  his 
operations  to  the  state  of  Virginia.  Still,  however,  he  kept 
p  an  appearance  of  persevering  in  his  original  intention  of 
Biaking  an  attack  upon  New  York,  and  in  this  feint  he  was 
aided  by  the  circumstance,  that  when  this  was  in  reality  hie 
design,  a  letter  in  which  he  detailed  his  plans  for  its  prosecu- 
tion, had  been  intercepted  and  read  by  Sir  Henry  Clinton. 

When,  therefore,  in  the  latter  end  of  August,  he  broke  up 
his  encampment  at  Peekskill,  and  directed  his  march  to  the 
south,  the  British  commander,  imagining  that  this  movement 
was  only  a  stratagem  calculated  to  throw  him  off  his  guard, 
and  that  the  A.T.sricans  and  French  would  speedily  return  to 
take  advantage  of  his  expected  negligence,  remained  in  his 
quarters,  and  nnloubled  his  exertions  to  strengthen  his  posi- 
tion. In  consiujuence  of  this  error  he  lost  the  opportunity 
of  impeding  tin;  march  of  the  allied  army,  and  of  availing 
himself  of  the  c»ccasions  which  might  have  presented  them- 
selves of  bringing  it  to  action  before  it  could  effect  a  junc- 
tion with  the  troops  already  assembled  in  the  vicinity  of 
Yorktown. 

As  soon,  however,  as  !55ir  Henry  Clinton  was  convinced  of 
General  Washington's  intention  of  proceeding  to  the  south 
ward,  with  a  view  of  bringing  him  back,  he  employed  Arnold, 
with  a  sufficient  naval  and  military  force,  on  an  expedition 
against  New  London.  Arnold  passed  from  Long  Island,  and 
on  the  forenoon  of  the  6th  of  September  landed  his  troops 
on  both  sides  ot  the  harbour ;  those  on  the  New  London  side 
being  under  his  own  immediate  orders,  and  those  on  the 
Groton  side  under  Lieutenant  Colonel  Eyre. 

As  the  works  at  New  London  were  very  imperfect,  no 
vigorous  resistance  was  there  made,  and  the  place  was  taken 
possession  of  with  little  loss.  But  Fort  Griswold,  on  the 
Groton  side,  was  in  a  more  finished  state,  and  the'  small  gar 

How  was  Washington  relieved  from  How  did  Clinton  endeavour  to  bnng 

his  distress  ?  Washington  back  ? 

What  did  he  resolve  to  do  ?  Describe  Arnold's  operations  in  New 

How  was  Clinton  deceived  P  London. 
'Vhat  was  tJie  copsequence  ' 


294 


CAPTURE   OP  FORT  GR1SW0LJ>. 


nson  made  a  most  spirittx  resistance.  It  was  finally  carrieo 
at  the  point  of  the  bayonet;  when,  though  opposition  haJ 
ceased,  a  most  cruel  and  murderous  carnage  ensued.  A 
British  officer  inquired  who  commanded  the  fort.  Colonel 
Ledyard  answered,  '  I  did,  but  you  do  now,'  at  the  same  time 
surrendering  his  sword.  The  officer  seized  it  and  instantly 
plunged  it  in  the  bosom  of  the  brave  patriot.  His  troops 
were  not  backward  in  following  this  atrocious  example.  Of 
the  160  men  composing  the  garrison,  but  forty  were  spared 
The  loss  of  the  British  w^as  considerable.  The  town  of  New 
London  and  a  large  amount  of  valuable  property  were  then 
•destroyed.  After  this  characteristic  proceeding,  the  traitoi 
Arnold  returned  with  his  troops  to  New  York. 

This  predatory  excursion  had  no  effect  in  diverting  Ge 
neral  Washington  from  his  purpose,  or  in  retarding  his  pro- 
gress southward.  He  marched  on  without  molestation  and 
reached  Williamsburgh  on  the  14ih  of  September,  and  im- 
mediately on  his  arrival  with  General  Knox,  Count  Rocham- 
beau  and  other  officers  visited  the  Count  de  Grasse  on  board 
his  flag  ship,  the  Ville  de  Paris,  and  settled  with  him  the  plan 
of  their  future  operations. 

In  pursuance  of  this  arrangement,  the  combined  forces,  to 
the  amount  of  12,000  men,  assembled  at  Williamsburgh,  on 
the  25th  of  September ;  and  on  the  30th  of  the  same  month 
marched  forward  to  invest  Yorktown,  whilst  the  French  fleet, 
moving  to  the  mouth  of  York  river,  cut  off  Lord  Cornwallis 
from  any  communication  with  a  friendly  force  by  water. 

His  lordship's  garrison  amounted  to  7,000  men,  and  the 
place  was  strongly  fortified.  On  the  right  it  was  secured  by 
a  marshy  ravine,  extending  to  such  a  distance  along  the  front 
of  the  defences  as  to  leave  them  accessible  only  to  the  extent 
of  about  1,500  yards.  This  space  was  defended  by  strong 
lines,  beyond  which,  on  the  extreme  left,  were  advanced  two 
redoubts,  which  enfiladed  their  approach  to  Gloucester  Point, 
on  the  other  side  of  York  river,  the  channel  of  which  is  here 
narrowed  to  the  breadth  of  a  mile,  which  post  was  also  sufli 
ciently  garri&oned,  and  strongly  fortified.  Thus  secured  in 
his  position.  Lord  Cornwallis  beheld  the  approach  of  the 
enemy  with  firmness,  especially  as  he  had  received  de» 
spatehes  from  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  announcing  his  intention 


What  took  place  at  Grotoii  ? 
Vv'hither  did  Arnold  return  ? 
Did  Washington  return  f 
Give  an  account  of  his  proceedings. 


How  did  the  allied  forces  prepare  t« 

invest  Yorktown  ? 
How  was  it  fortified  and  garrisoned 
What  relief  did  Corr  wallis  exoeot  ^ 


SIEGE  OF  YORKTOWN. 


295 


of  sending  a  reinforcement  of  five  thousand  men  on  a  fleet 
of  twenty-three  ships  of  the  line  to  his  relief.  This  was  a 
grand  promise,  but  it  availed  nothing,  for  it  proved  in  the 
end  more  ineflScient  even  than  the  attempt  made  under 
Graves. 

Meanwhile,  on  the  28th  of  September,  the  united  armies 
marched  to  invest  Yorktown.  The  fortifications,  which  were 
merely  earthworks  freshly  thrown  up,  consisted  on  the  right 
of  redoubts  and  batteries,  with  a  stockade  in  the  rear.  Over 
a  marshy  ravine  in  front  of  the  right,  a  large  redoubt  was 
placed.  A  morass  ran  along  the  centre,  which  was  defended 
by  a  stockade  and  batteries.  The  French  troops,  with 
their  usual  gallantry,  wished  to  storm  the  outer  works,  but 
this  was  unnecessary.  During  the  night  Cornwallis  abandoned 
them  all. 

Gloucester  was  also  invested.  There  T^leton  attempted 
to  give  battle,  but  the  French  dragoons  rode  his  troopers 
down.  On  the  6th  of  October  the  siege  works  were  begun 
and  pushed  rapidly  so  that  their  batteries  opened  on  the 
enemy.  On  the  10th  the  French  batteries  destroyed  an  Eng- 
lish frigate  and  three  large  ships.  On  that  day,  too.  Lord 
Cornwallis  received  a  communication  from  Sir  Henry  Clinton, 
conveying  to  him  the  unwelcome  intelligence  that  he  doubted 
whether  it  would  be  in  his  power  to  send  him  the  aid  which 
he  had  promised. 

On  the  following  morning  the  allied  army  commenced  their 
second  parallel,  and  finding  themselves  in  this  advanced  posi- 
tion, severely  annoyed  by  the  two  redoubts  which  have  been 
mentioned  above,  they  resolved  to  storm  them.  In  order  to 
render  available  the  spirit  of  emulation  which  existed  be- 
tween tae  troops  of  the  allied  nations,  and  to  avoid  any  causes 
of  jealousy  to  either,  the  attack  of  the  one  was  committed  U 
the  French,  and  that  of  the  other  to  the  Americans.  The 
latter  were  commanded  by  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette,  and  the 
former  by  the  Baron  Viominel. 

On  the  evening  of  the  14th,  as  soon  as  it  was  dark,  the 
parties  marched  to  the  assault  with  unloaded  arms.  The 
redoubt  which  the  Americans  attacked  was  defended  by  a 
major,  some  inferior  ofiicers,  and  45  privates.  The  assailants 
advanced  with  such  rapidity,  without  returning  a  shot  to  the 


Mow  was  the  siege  commenced  ?       |  What  was  done  on  the  morning  df 
WTiat  intelligence  did  JornwaUis  re-  I     October  11th  ? 
ceive  from  Clinton  ?  ^  What  were  the  allies  oDlifod  It 

I     ftorm  P 


206  DISTRESS  OF    THE  GARRISON. 

h^avy  fire  with  which  th-ey  were  received,  that  in  a  (efi 
minutes  they  were  in  possession  of  the  work,  having  hau 
^ight  men  killed  and  28  wounded  in  the  attack  Eight  British 
privates  were  killed,  the  major,  some  other  officers,  and  17 
privates  were  mad^  prisoners,  and  the  rest  escaped.  Although 
tlie  Americans ,  were  highly  exasperated  by  the  recent  mas- 
sacre of  their  countrymen  in  Fort  Griswold  by  Arnold's 
detachment,  yet  not  a  man  of  the  British  was  injured  after 
resistance  had  ceased.  Retaliation  had  been  talked  of,  but 
was  not  exercised. 

The  French  party  advanced  with  equal  courage  and  ra- 
pidity, and  were  successful ;  but  as  the  fortification  which 
tiiey  attacked  was  occupied  by  a  greater  force,  the  defence 
was  more  vigorous,  and  the  loss  of  the  assailants  more  severe. 
There  were  120  men  in  the  redoubt,  of  whom  18  were  killed 
and  42  taken  prisoners ;  the  rest  made  their  escape.  The 
French  lost  nearly  100  men  killed  or  wounded.  During  the 
night  these  two  redoubts  were  included  in  the  second  pa- 
rallel ;  and  in  the  course  of  the  next  day,  some  howitzers 
were  placed  on  them,  which  in  the  afternoon  opened  on  the 
besieged. 

On  the  16th  of  October,  a  sally  was  made  from  the  gar- 
rison, out  with  indifferent  success  ;  and  Lord  Cornwallis  was 
now  convinced  that  he  could  only  avoid  surrender  by  effect- 
ing his  escape  by  Gloucester  Point.  Seeing  himself,  therefore 
reduced  to  the  necessity  of  trying  this  desperate  expedient 
he  prepared  as  many  boats  as  he  could  procure,  and  on  the 
night  of  the  16th  of  October  attempted  to  convey  his  army 
over  York  river  to  the  opposite  promontory.  But  the  ele- 
ments were  adverse  to  his  operations.  The  first  division  of 
his  troops  was  disembarked  in  safety ;  but  when  the  second 
was  on  its  passage,  a  storm  of  wind  and  rain  arose,  and  drove 
it  down  the  river. 

Though  this  second  embarkation  worked  its  way  back  to 
Yorktown  on  the  morning  of  the  17th,  Lord  Cornwallis  was 
convinced,  however  unwillingly,  that  protracted  resistance 
was  vain.  No  aid  appeared  from  New  York — his  worlw 
were  ruined — the  fire  from  the  besiegers'  batteries  swept  the 
town ;  and  sickness  had  diminished  his  effective  force. 


describe  the  taking  of  the  first  re- 
doubt. 

flow  did  the  Americans  sb  3W  their 

clemency  f 
Oescribe  the  taking  of  the  secc  nd  re- 

dovbt. 


What  took  place  on  the  16th  of  Oc- 
tober ? 

What  in  the  succeeding  night  f 
On  the  17th  ? 

What  was  now  the  situatioo  it  Lord 
Cornwallis  / 


SUERENDER  OF  TORKTOWN. 


297 


On  the  17th,  seeing  that  he  could  neither  hold  out  any 
longer  where  he  was,  nor  escape  into  the  country,  by  the 
advice  of  a  council  of  war.  Lord  Cornwallis  proposed  to  sur- 
render. The  next  day  Colonel  Laurens  of  the  American 
army  and  the  Viscount  de  Noailles  of  the  French,  as  com- 
missioners on  the  side  of  the  Americans,  met  the  British 
commissioners,  Lieut. -Col.  Dundas  and  Major  Ross,  Wash- 
ington declining  to  allow  any  long  suspension  of  hostilities, 
though  Cornwallis  sought  delay  hoping  to  the  last  for  relief. 

Terms  were  soon  arranged  and  submitted  to  the  consider- 
ation of  Cornwallis.  Washington  declined  any  further  ne- 
gotiation. He  had  the  rough  articles  fairly  transcribed,  and 
sent  them  to  the  English  general  with  a  request  that  they 
be  signed  by  eleven  o'clock,  and  that  the  garrison  should 
march  out  by  two  in  the  afternoon. 

Cornwallis  having  by  these  articles  agreed  to  give  up  his 
troops  as  prisoners  of  war  to  Congress,  and  the  naval  force  to 
France,  he  on  the  19th  of  October,  marched  out  of  hi^>  lines 
with  folded  colours  ;  and  proceeding  to  a  field  at  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  town,  he  surrendered  to  General  Lincoln, 
with  the  same  formalities  which  had  been  prescribed  to  thai 
officer  at  Charleston,  eighteen  months  before. 

Another  comcidence  was  remarked  on  this  occasion.  The 
capitulation  under  which  Lord  Cornwallis  surrendered  was 
drawn  up  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  Laurens,  whose  father  had 
fiUea  the  office  of  president  of  congress,  and  having  been 
taken  prisoner  when  on  his  voyage  to  Holland,  in  quality  of 
ambassador  from  the  United  States  to  the  Dutch  Republic 
had  been  consigned,  under  a  charge  of  high  treason,  to  a  ri- 
gorous custody  in  the  tower  of  London,  of  which  fortress  his 
lordship  was  constable. 

Had  Lord  Cornwallis  been  able  to  hold  out  five  days  longer 
than  he  did,  he  might  possibly  have  been  relieved ;  for  on  the 
24th  of  October  a  Biitish  fleet,  conveying  an  army  of  7,000 
men,  arrived  ofi*  the  Chesapeake ;  but  finding  that  his  lord- 
ship had  already  surrendered,  this  armament  returned  to  New 
York  and  Sandy  Hook. 

It  was  with  reason  that  congress  passed  a  vote  of  thanks 
to  the  captors  of  Yorktown,  and  that  they  went  in  procession 
on  the  24th  of  October,  to  celebrate  the  triumph  of  their  armsi 
by  expressing,  in  the  solemnities  of  a  religious  service,  theif 


Wliat  was  he  compeUed  to  do  ?        |  What  coinciden  e  was  remaiked  f 
Wliat  were  the  terms  of  the  surren-  I  What  is  said  of  Comw.*Ilis  f 
der  ?  I  Of  congress  ? 


498  EFFECTS  OF  CORNWALLIs's  SURRENDER. 


gratitude  to  Almighty  God  for  this  signal  success  The  sur- 
render of  Lord  Cornwallis  was  the  virtual  termination  of  thf 
war* 

From  this-  time  forward,  to  the  signature  of  the  treaty  oi 
peace,  the  British  were  cooped  up  in  New  York,  Charleston 
and  Savannah.  From  these  posts  they  now  and  then,  indeed^ 
made  excursions  for  the  purpose  of  foraging  and  plunder^ 
but  being  utterly  unable  to  appear  in  force  in  the  interior  of 
the  country,  they  found  themselves  incompetent  to  carry  OD 
any  operations  calculated  to  promote  the  main  object  of  the 
war — the  subjugation  of  the  United  States.  Perseverance, 
however,  still  seemed  a  virtue  to  the  British  cabinet.  Imme- 
diately after  the  arrival  of  intelligence  of  the  capture  by  the 
Americans  of  a  second  British  army,  George  III  declared,  in 
a  speech  to  parliament,  *  that  he  should  not  answer  the  trust 
committed  to  the  sovereign  of  a  free  people,  if  he  consented 
to  sacrifice,  either  to  his  own  desire  of  peace,  or  to  their  tem- 
porary ease  and  relief,  those  essential  rights  and  permanent 
interests,  upon  the  maintenance  and  preservation  of  which 
the  future  strength  and  security  of  the  country  must  for  ever 
depend.* 

When  called  upon  in  the  house  of  commons  for  an  expla- 
nation of  this  vague  and  assuming  language,  Lord  North 
avowed  that  it  was  the  intention  of  ministers  to  carry  on  in 
North  America  '  a  war  of  posts  ;'  and  such  was,  at  that  mo- 
ment, the  state  of  the  house,  that,  in  despite  of  the  eloquence 
of  Mr.  Fox,  who  laboured  to  demonstrate  the  absurdity  of 
this  new  plan,  a  majority  of  218  to  129  concurred  in  an  ad- 
dress, which  was  an  echo  of  the  king's  speech. 

But  the  loud  murmurs  of  the  people,  groaning  beneath  the 
weight  of  taxation,  and  indignant  under  a  sense  of  national 
misrule,  at  length  penetrated  the  walls  of  the  senate-house. 
Early  in  the  year  1782,  motion  after  motion  was  made  in  the 
house  of  commons,  expressive  of  the  general  wish  for  the 
termination  of  hostilities  with  the  United  States.  The  minis- 
ter held  out  with  obstinacy,  though,  on  each  renewal  of  the 
debate,  he  saw  his  majority  diminish  ;  till  at  length,  on  the 
27th  of  February,  on  a  motion  of  General  Conway,  expressly 
directed  against  the  further  prosecution  of  offensive  war  on 
the  continent  of  North  America,  he  was  left  in  a  minority  c  f 
nineteen. 


Of  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis  ?       I  What  was  declared  by  George  III  f 
How  were  the  British  situated  after    What  was  done  in  parliament  f 
the  surrender  of  Cornwallis  ?         |  Which  party  at  length  prevaUcd  } 


RETIREMENT   Of   LORD  NORTH. 


299 


Tnis  "ilctory  was  followed  up  by  an  address  from  thf  liouse 
to  his  majesty,  in  favour  of  peace.  To  this  address  so  equivo- 
cal an  answer  was  returned  by  the  crown,  that  the  friends  of 
pacification  deemed  it  necessary  to  speak  in  still  plainer  terms ; 
Hnd,  on  the  4th  of  March,  the  house  of  commons  declared, 
that  whosoever  should  advise  his  majesty  to  any  further  pro- 
secution of  offensive  war  against  the  colonies  of  North  Ame- 
rica, should  be  considered  as  a  public  enemy. 

This  was  the  death  blow  of  Lord  North's  administralioiu 
His  lordship  retired  from  office  early  in  the  month  of  March, 
and  was  succeeded  by  the  Marquis  of  Rockingham,  the 
efforts  of  whose  ministry  were  as  much  and  as  cordially  di- 
rected to  peace  as  those  of  Lord  Shelburne's.  On' the  death 
of  the  marquis,  which  took  place  soon  after  he  had  assumecv 
the  reins  of  government,  the  Earl  of  Shelburne  was  called  on 
to  preside  over  his  majesty's  councils,  which,  under  his  aus- 
pices, were  directed  to  the  great  object  of  pacification. 

To  thi-s  all  the  parties  interested  were  well  inclined.  The 
English  nation  was  weary  of  a  civil  war  in  which  it  had  ex- 
perienced so  many  discomfitures.  The  king  of  France,  who 
had  reluctantly  consented  to  aid  the  infant  republic  of  North 
America,  was  mortified  by  the  destruction  of  the  fleet  of  De 
Grasse,  in  the  West  Indies,  whither  he  had  sailed  after  the 
fall  of  York  town,  and  been  defeated  by  Rodney.  The  Spa- 
aiards  were  disheartened  by  the  failure  of  their  efforts  to 
repossess  themselves  of  Gibraltar ;  and  the  Dutch  were  im- 
patient under  the  suspension  of  their  commerce. 

Such  being  the  feelings  of  the  belligerents,  the  negotiations 
for  a  treaty  of  peace  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United 
States  were  opened  at  Paris,  by  Mr.  Fitzherbert  and  Mr 
Oswald,  on  the  part  of  the  former  power,  and  by  John  Adams, 
Doctor  Franklin,  John  Jay,  iand  Henry  Laurens,  on  behali 
of  the  latter. 

After  a  tedious  and  intricate  negotiation,  in  which  the  firmr 
ness,  judgment,  and  penetration  of  the  American  commission- 
ers were  fully  exercised,  preliminary  articles  of  peace  were 
signed  on  the  30th  of  November,  1782 ;  and  news  of  the 


What  kind  of  address  fonowed  the 
victory  of  the  whigs  ? 

Vhat  did  the  house  of  commons  de- 
clare ? 

When  did  Lord  North  retire  ? 

What  was  the  object  of  the  Marquis 

of  Rockingham  ? 
Of  the  Earl  of  Shelburne  ? 


What  was  the  disposition  of  the  Eng- 
lish ? 

The  king  of  France  ? 
The  Spaniards  ? 

Who  were  appointed  connnissionerf 

to  make  a  treaty  ? 
When  were  the  pieliminary  artkles 

signed? 


TREATY  OF  PEACE 


conclusion  of  a  general  peace  reached  the  United  States  eailv 
next  April. 

By  this  provisional  treaty  the  independence  of  the  thirteen 
United  States  was  unreservedly  acknovi^ledged  by  his  Britan- 
nic majesty,  who,  moreover,  conceded  to  them  an  unlimitea 
right  of  fishing  on  the  banks  of  Newfoundland,  and  the  river 
St.  Lawrence,  and  all  other  places  where  they  had  been  ac- 
-ustomed  to  fish.  All  that  the  British  plenipotentaries  could 
obtain  for  the  American  loyalists  was,  a  provision  that  con- 
gress should  earnestly  recommend  to  the  legislatures  of  theii 
respective  states  the  most  lenient  consideration  of  tlieir  cases 
and  a  restitution  of  their  confiscated  property. 

The  independence  of  the  United  States  was  acknowledged, 
and  peace  with  Great  Britain  had  been  concluded;  but  the 
dangers  of  America  were  not  at  an  end.  She  had  succeeded 
in  repelling  foreign  aggression,  but  was  threatened  with  ruin 
by  internal  dissension. 

In  the  interval  between  the  cessation  of  hostilities  and  the 
jisbanding  of  the  troops,  congress  found  itself  in  a  trying  and 
perilous  situation.  The  army  was  in  a  state  of  high  dissatis- 
faction and  irritation.  In  October,  1780,  a  season  of  dangei 
and  alarm,  congress  promised  half  pay  to  the  officers  on  the 
conclusion  of  peace.  The  resolution  to  this  effect  not  having 
been  ratified  by  the  requisite  number  of  states,  was  in  dangei 
of  remaining  a  dead  letter.  In  the  month  of  December,  1782, 
soon  after  going  into  winter  quarters,  the  officers  had  present- 
ed a  memorial  and  petition  to  congress,  and  deputed  a.  com- 
mittee of  their  number  to  call  its  attention  to  the  subject 
Their  request  was,  that  all  arrears  due  to  them  might  be  paid 
and  that,  instead  of  granting  them  half  pay  for  life,  congress 
would  allow  them  five  years  of  full  pay  when  the  army  should 
be  disbanded. 

The  unwarrantable  delay  of  congress  in  granting  this  very 
reasonable  request  of  those  who  had  shed  their  blood,  and 
spent  their  fortunes  and  the  best  portion  of  their  lives  in  de- 
fending the  country,  excited  a  serious  commotion  in  that  part 
of  the  army  which  was  stationed  at  Newburg.  In  March, 
1783,  an  ably  written  address,  appealing  strongly  to  their  in- 
dignant feelings,  and  recommending  an  appeal  to  the  fears  of 
congress,  was  privately  distributed  among  the  officers ;  and  at 


What  were  the  terms  of  the  treaty  ? 
A^'hat  was  done  for  the  torics  ? 
What  source  of  diliiculty  remained  ? 
Whai  had  Deen  done  in  October, 
1780? 


What  was  done  in  December,  1782  ? 
What  was  the  request  of  the  officers  f 
What  was  the  consequence  of  con* 

gress  delaying  to  grant  it  ? 
What  was  done  in  March,  1783  } 


DISCONTENT  OF  THE  ARMY. 


80i 


the  same  time  a  meeting  of  the  officers  was  proposed,  for  the 
puipose  of  considering  the  means  of  obtaining  redress.  The 
sensation  caused  by  the  injustice  of  congress  was  increased 
to  an  alarming  degree  by  this  eloquent  address,  and  it  is  dif- 
ficult to  say  what  might  have  been  the  result  of  the  proposed 
meeting,  had  not  the  commander  in  chief  fortunately  been  on 
the  spot. 

Washington  clearly  saw  the  danger,  and  prohibited  th 
meeting ;  but  deeming  it  safer  to  direct  and  weaken  the  cur- 
rent, than  immediately  to  oppose  it,  he  appointed  a  similai 
meeting  on  a  subsequent  day.  General  Gates,  as  the  senior 
officer  of  rank,  presided.  General  Washington,  who  had  been 
diligent  in  preparing  the  minds  of  the  officers  for  the  occasion, 
addressed  the  assembly,  strongly  combated  the  address,  and% 
by  his  sound  reasoning  and  high  influential  character,  suc- 
ceeded in  dissipating  the  storm. 

These  proceedings  of  the  officers  induced  congress  to  pay 
some  regard  to  its  promises,  and  to  grant  their  request  for  a 
commutation  of  half  pay  for  a  sum  equal  to  five  years'  full  pay. 
The  disbanding  of  the  army,  which  was  still  in  a  state  of  irri- 
tation, from  having  large  arrears  of  pay,  and  many  of  them  not 
money  enough  to  supply  their  most  pressing  wants,  was  a 
dangerous  experiment.  Other  armies  disbanded  under  such 
circumstances  had  often  formed  themselves  into  companies  of 
free-booters,  and  ravaged  the  country  they  had  previously  de- 
fended. But  congress  understood  the  true  character  of  their 
patriot  army,  and  boldly  ran  the  risk  of  dismissing  it  unpaid. 
No  convulsion  followed.  The  soldiers  quietly  returned  to 
their  homes,  and  resumed  the  arts  of  peace,  content  with  the 
humblest  lot  in  the  land,  which  they  had  just  freed  from  foreign 
enemies,  and  placed  among  the  most  highly  favoured  nations 
of  the  earth.  Previous  to  this  event,  however,  on  the  19th  oi 
April,  1783,  the  day  which  completed  the  eighth  year  of  thi' 
war,  the  cessation  of  hostilities  with  Great  Britain  was,  b^ 
order  of  General  Washington,  proclaimed  in  the  American 
camp. 

The  American  forces  still  remained  at  their  posts,  awaiting 
the  entire  removal  of  the  enemy's  troops  from  the  country 
On  the  25th  of  November,  the  British  troops  evacuated  New 


What  is  said  of  Washington  >  When  was  the  cessation  ot  hostilines 

What  was  the  tenor  of  his  addresr  to      proclaimed  ? 

the  oflBcers  ^  When  was  New  York  evacuated  bj 

VPb>\{  wad  done  hy  congress  ?  the  British  ? 

Was  the  army  disbanded  without  d';s- 

tnrbance? 

20 


302 


RETIREMENT  OF  WASHINGTON. 


York,  and  an  American  detachment,  under  General  Knox,  took 
possession  ol  the  town.  General  Washington  and  governoi 
Clinton,  accompanied  by  a  number  of  civil  and  military  officera 
and  respectable  citizens,  soon  afterwards  entered  the  oily ;  and 
the  Americans,  after  a  struggle  which  had  lasted  eight  years^, 
thus  gained  full  and  undisputed  possession  of  the  entire  tern 
tory  of  the  United  States. 

General  Washington's  military  career  was  now  about  to 
close  ;  and  on  the  4th  of  December,  1783,  he  met  the  prin^i* 
pal  officers  of  the  army  at  Francis'  tavern,  in  New  York. 
The  officers  assembled  at  noon,  and  their  revered  and  beloved 
(Sommander  soon  entered  the  room.  His  emotions  were  too 
strong  to  be  concealed  ;  filling  a  glass,  and  addressing  the  of- 
ficers, he  said,  '  With  a  heart  full  of  love  and  gratitude,  I  now 
take  leave  of  you,  and  devoutly  wish  that  your  latter  days 
may  be  as  prosperous  and  happy  as  your  former  ones  have 
been  honourable.'  Having  drank,  he  added,  *I  cannot  come 
to  take  each  of  you  by  the  hand,  but  shall  be  obliged  to  you 
if  each  of  you  will  come  and  take  me  by  the  hand.'  In  the 
midst  of  profound  silence,  and  with  the  liveliest  sensibility 
and  tenderness,  each  of  the  officers  took  him  by  the  hand ; 
and  at  the  close  of  the  affecting  ceremony,  they  all  accom- 
panied him  to  Whitehall,  where  a  barge  was  in  readiness  to 
carry  him  across  the  river.  Having  embarked.  General 
Washington  turned  round  to  his  late  companions  in  arms, 
took  ofT  his  hat,  respectfully  bowed  to  them,  and  bade  them 
a  silent  farewell.  They  returned  the  compliment,  and  went 
back  in  mute  procession  to  the  place  where  they  had  assem- 
bled. 

Congress  was  then  sitting  at  Annapolis,  in  Maryland,  and 
thither  General  Washington  proceeded,  for  the  purpose  of  re- 
signing that  power  which  he  had  so  successfully  exercised. 
He  remained  a  few  days  in  Philadelphia,  in  order  to  settle  his 
accounts  with  the  treasury ;  and  on  the  19th  of  December 
arrived  at  Annapolis. 

At  noon  on  the  23d,  in  presence  of  a  numerous  compuiy 
of  spectators,  he  resigned  his  commission  into  the  hands  of 
congress,  and  afterwards  retired  to  his  mansion  at  MounI 
Vernon. 

'In  the  course  of  the  revolution,'  says  a  foreign  writer,  •  a 
number  of  men  of  no  mean  abilities  arose,  both  in  the  military 


Pcscribe  the  scene  of  the  4th  of  De- 
cember, 1783. 

P\;t  what  purpose  did  Washingtoa 
proo^d  *o  ^jinapolw  r 


Whither  did  he  retire  after  bis  mijg< 
nation  ? 


CHARACTER  OF  WASHINGTON. 


3 


and  civil  departments  ;  but  General  Washington  appears  with 
pre-eminent  lustre  among  them  all ;  not  by  the  brilliancy  of  hia 
genius,  but  by  the  soundness  of  his  understanding,  and  the 
moral  dignity  of  his  character.  His  courage  was  unquestion- 
able, but  it  was  governed  by  discretion.  He  was  not  remark 
able  for  quickness  of  perception  or  apprehension  ;  but,  when 
he  had  time  to  deliberate,  he  was  judicious  in  his  decision 
His  glory,  however,  lies  in  the  moral  excellence  of  his  cha- 
racter, his  spotless  integrity,  disinterested  patriotism,  genera) 
humanity,  invincible  fortitude,  and  inflexible  perseverance. 
In  trying  times,  he  occupied  the  most  difficult  situation  in 
which  a  man  can  be  placed.  At  the  head  of  a  turbulent  sol- 
diery, unaccustomed  to  military  subordination,  he  was  exposed 
on  the  one  side  to  the  clamours  and  calumnies  of  an  ignorant 
and  fluctuating  populace,  who  were  forward  to  condemn  the 
wisdom  which  they  had  not  the  capacity  to  comprehend,  and 
to  reprobate  plans  which  did  not  suit  their  little  interests  and 
feeble  judgments.  On  the  other  side  he  was  fettered  by  the 
presumption  of  rulers,  who  were  forward  to  decide  on  what 
they  did  not  understand,  to  enjoin  measures  the  consequences 
of  which  they  did  not  foresee,  and  to  dictate  on  subjects  of 
which  they  had  but  a  very  imperfect  knowledge.  He  was 
unmoved  by  the  clamours  of  the  former;  and  he  bore,  with 
invincible  patience,  the  aberrations  of  the  latter ;  he  remon- 
strated and  reasoned  with  them,  a 'jd  often  succeeded  in  setting 
them  right.  With  a  steady  hard  he  steered  the  vessel  amidst 
the  terrors  of  the  storm,  and  through  fearful  breakers  brought 
it  safe  into  port.  America  owes  him  much,  and  seems  not  in- 
sensible of  the  obligation.  She  has  done  honour  to  him  and 
to  herself,  by  calling  her  capital  by  his  name  ;  but  it  would  be 
still  far  more  honourable  and  advantageous  to  her,  were  all  her 
people  to  imitate  his  virtues,  and  the  character  of  every  Ame- 
rican to  reflect  the  moral  image  of  General  Washington.' 

The  American  revolutionary  war,  says  a  British  historian, 
might  have  been  prevented  by  the  timely  concession  of  free- 
dom from  internal  taxation,  as  imposed  by  the  British  parlia- 
ment, and  by  an  abstinence,  on  the  part  of  the  crown,  from  a 
riolation  of  this  important  particular  of  chartered  rights.  The 
confidential  letters  of  Doctor  Franklin  evince  that  it  was  with 
extreme  reluctance  the  American  patriots  adopted  the  measure 
of  Bevering  the  colonies  from  the  mother  country.    But  whcM 

What  character  is  ascribed  to  Wash-  |  What  proves  the  reluctance  of  tM 
ington  by  a  foreign  writer  ?  I     Americans  to  commepre  h.ostiU'' 

H^w  is  it  supposiKi  that  the  revolu-  |     tie«  ? 
Hon  might  hav^e  been  pre  reol^  ? 


304  CHARACTER  OF  THE  REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 


they  had  taken  this  decisive  step,  by  the  declaration  of  inde- 
pendence, they  firmly  resolved  to  abide  by  the  consequences 
of  their  own  act :  and  with  the  single  exception  of  Georgia 
never,  even  in  the  most  distressful  contingences  of  the  war 
did  any  public  body  of  the  provinces,  show  any  dispositiar 
to  renew  their  allegiance  to  the  king  of  Great  Britain.  Still, 
It  has  been  doubted,  considering  the  conduct  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  Jerseys,  when  Washington  was^  retreating  before  Ge- 
neral Howe,  whether,  had  the  British  commanders  restrained 
their  troops,  with  the  sf'r'tness  of  discipline,  and  exercised 
toward  the  American  people  the  conciliatory  spirit  evinced  in 
Canada  by  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  the  fervour  of  resistance  might 
not  have  been  considerably  abated. 

But  for  their  own  discomfiture  and  our  good,  the  British 
generally  conducted  the  war  with  cruelty  and  rancour.  Our 
patriotic  citizens  were  treated  by  their  soldiery  not  as  ene- 
mies entitled  to  the  courtesies  of  war,  but  as  rebels  whose 
lives  and  property  lay  at  the  mercy  of  the  victors.  Hence 
devastation  marked  the  track  of  the  invading  forces,  while  the 
inhabitants  found  their  truest  safety  in  resistance,  and  their 
best  shelter  in  the  republican  camp.  Nor  will  he  who  reads 
the  minute  details  of  the  eventful  contest  be  surprised,  thai 
the  British  ministry  persevered  in  the  war  when  success  might 
have  appeared  to  be  hopeless.  It  is  now  well  known,  as  we 
have  already  had  occasion  to  remark,  that  George  HI  revolted 
from  the  idea  of  concession  to  his  disobedient  subjects,  and 
was  determined  to  put  all  to  the  hazard,  rather  than  acknow- 
ledge their  independence.  Lord  North,  at  an  early  period  of 
the  war,  had  misgivings  as  to  its  ultimate  success,  but  he 
had  not  firmness  enough  to  give  his  sovereign  unwelcome 
advice;  whilst  Lord  George  Germain  and  the  other  ministers 
fully  sympathised  with  the  royal  feelings,  and  entered  heartily 
into  the  views  of  their  master. 

They  were  apprised,  from  time  to  time,  of  the  destitute 
condition  of  the  American  army,  but  living  as  they  were, 
with  the  selfishness  and  venality  of  courts  and  political  par- 
ties, they  could  not  conceive  the  idea  of  men  sacrificing  health, 
property,  and  life,  for  their  country's  good.  When  Wash 
mgton  su fleered  reverses  in  the  field,  such  men  imagined  that 
the  affairs  of  the  congress  were  desperate,  and  flattered  then*- 


What  was  their  disposition  after  the 
declaration  of  independence  ? 

llcw  did  the  British  conduct  the 
war 

Wh^i  was  the  ettect  of  their  cruelty  ? 


What  was  the  disposition  of  Georga 
III? 

Of  his  ministers  ? 

What  was  the  opinion  of  the  Brilifih 
concerning  the  AmericaDs  ? 


fikllORS  Of    THE  LOYALIStS. 


selves  that  the  great  body  of  the  colonists,  weariea  and  dis- 
heartened bv  successive  defeats,  would  be  glad  to  accept  the 
royal  mercy,  and  return  to  their  allegiance. 

In  these  notions  they  were  confirmed  by  the  loyalists,  who, 
giving  utterance  to  their  wishes  rather  than  stating  the  truth, 
afforded  the  most  incorrect  representations  of  the  feelings  and 
temper  of  their  countrymen.  Some  of  these  going  over  to 
England,  were  received  with  favour  in  high  circles,  and  by 
their  insinuations  kept  up  to  the  last  the  delusion  of  the  go- 
vernment. These  individuals  at  length  fell  the  victims  of  theii 
own  error.  Traitors  to  their  country,  they  lost  their  property 
by  acts  of  confiscation,  and  while  they  lived  on  the  bounty  of 
the  British  crown,  they  had  the  mortification  to  see  the  coun- 
try which  they  had  deserted,  rise  to  an  exalted  rank  among 
the  nations  of  the  earth. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


FORMATION  OF  THE  FEDERAL  CONSTITUTION. 

It  was  natural  that  the  severe  struggle  of  the  Revolution 
should  be  followed  by  a  season  of  comparative  exhaustion  and 
weakness.  This  effect  was  felt  by  the  people  of  the  United 
States  for  a  considerable  period  after  peace  as  well  as  inde- 
pendence had  been  secured.  The  enthusiasm  of  a  popular 
contest  terminating  in  victory,  began  to  subside,  and  the 
pacrifices  of  the  Revolution  soon  became  known  and  felt. 
The  claims  of  those  who  had  toiled,  fought  and  suffered  in 
the  arduous  conflict,  were  strongly  urged,  and  the  govern- 
ment had  neither  resources  nor  power  to  satisfy  them. 

The  general  government  had  no  separate  and  exclusive 
fund ;  but  was  under  the  necessity  of  making  requisitions  on 
♦he  state  governments  for  all  money  required  for  national 
purposes.  When  called  upon  for  the  funds  to  pay  the  ar- 
rears due  to  the  army,  and  the  interest  on  the  public  debt,  the 
itate  legislatures  were  neither  willing,  nor  indeed  able  to 
meet  the  demand.    The  wealth  of  the  country  had  been  ex- 


Who  confirmed  them  in  this  error  ?  States  at  the  close  of  *he  revoln- 
WY^t  wai  the  consequence  tc  the      tionary  war  ? 

loyalists  ?  What  was  the  financial  condition  at 

What  wai  the  condition  of  the  United      the  general  government  f 

Of  the  state  governments  f 
26* 


^06 


iNSURRteCtlONS. 


hausted  by  the  war ;  and  the  proper  method  of  drawing  on  iU 
future  rei^ources,  so  well  understood  and  so  extensively  em- 
ployed at  present,  had  not  been  yet  discovered  and  applied 
by  the  general  or  the  state  governments. 

Taxes  could  not  be  collected,  because  there  was  no  money 
to  represent  the  value  of  the  little  personal  property  which 
had  not  been,  and  the  land  which  could  not  be,  destroyed; 
and  commerce,  though  preparing  lO  burst  from  its  thraldom, 
had  not  yet  had  time  to  restore  to  the  annual  produce  of  the 
country  its  exchangeable  value.  The  states  owed  each  a 
heavy  debt  for  local  services  rendered  during  the  Revolution 
for  which  it  was  bound  to  provide,  and  each  had  its  own  do* 
mestic  government  to  support. 

Under  these  circumstances,  it  is  not  surprising  that  each 
state  was  anxious  to  retain  for  its  own  benefit,  the  small  but 
rising  revenue  derived  from  foreign  commerce  ;  and  that  the 
custom-houses  in  each  commercial  city  were  considered  as 
the  most  valuable  sources  of  income  which  the  states  pos- 
sessed. Each  state  therefore  made  its  own  regulations,  its 
tariff,  and  tonnage  duties,  and  as  a  natural  consequence,  the 
different  states  clashed  with  each  other  ;  one  foreign  nation 
became  more  favoured  than  another  under  the  same  circum- 
stances ;  and  one  state  pursued  a  system  injurious  to  the 
interests  of  others. 

Hence  the  confidence  of  foreign  countries  was  destroyed, 
and  they  could  not  enter  into  treaties  of  commerce,  with  the 
general  government,  since  they  were  not  likely  to  be  carried 
into  effect.  A  general  decay  of  trade,  the  rise  of  imported 
merchandise,  the  fall  of  produce,  and  an  uncommon  decrease 
in  the  value  of  lands  ensued. 

In  Massachusetts  where  several  laws  were  passed  for  the 
collection  of  taxes  and  debts,  the  discontent  was  so  great  thai 
*t  led  to  open  rebellion  against  the  state  government.  In 
A^ugust,  1784,  a  large  body  of  insurgents  assembled  and  took 
possession  of  the  court  house,  in  order  to  prevent  the  deci- 
sion of  causes  and  the  consequent  issue  of  executions.  A 
similar  mob  compelled  the  court  at  Worcester  to  adjourn  in 
September.  The  same  spirit  of  disaffection  was  manifested 
in  New  Hampshire,  and  the  legislature  itself  was  menaci^ 


What  was  the  condition  of  com- 
merce ? 

What  regulations  of  the  states  embar- 
rassed commerce  ? 

What  prevented  foreign  treaties  of 
eommerce/ 


What  was  the  consequence  ? 
What  took  place  in  Massachusettf  f 
How  did  the  insurgents  proceed  ? 
What  took  place  in  New  Hampsbirt  f 


8HAY;S  REBELLION 


807 


by  an  assemblage  of  the  populace.  This  insurreimun,  now 
ever,  was  speedily  quelled  by  the  decisive  measures  of  thf 
government. 

In  Massachusetts  the  spirit  of  insurrection  held  out  longer 
The  leader  of  the  malcontents,  Daniel  Sliays,  raised  a  body 
of  300  men,  proceeded  to  Springfield,  where  the  supreme 
court  was  sitting,  and  surrounding  the  court  house,  com 
polled  the  judges  to  adjourn.  After  this  success  his  adhe 
rents  increased  so  considerably,  that  it  became  necessary  to 
order  out  an  army  of  4,000  men  to  put  a  stop  to  their  pro 
ceedings.  This  force  was  placed  under  the  direction  of  Ge 
neral  Lincoln,  who,  having  first  afforded  sufficient  protection 
to  the  court  at  Worcester  to  enable  the  judges  to  resume 
their  functions,  marched  to  Springfield  where  the  insurgents 
were  on  the  point  of  seizing  the  state  arsenal.  A  single  wei 
directed  fire  of  artillery  served  to  disperse  the  rebels  and  re- 
store public  order.  The  chief  insurgents  were  afterwards 
tried,  and  fourteen  of  them  sentenced  to  death.  But  all  were 
ultimately  pardoned. 

The  time  at  length  came  when  the  public  mind  gave 
tokens  of  being  prepared  for  a  change  in  the  constitution  of 
the  general  government — an  occurrence  the  necessity  of 
which  had  been  long  foreseen  by  Washington,  Adams,  and 
other  distinguished  patriots  of  that  period.  The  evils  result- 
mg  from  the  weakness  and  inefficiency  of  the  old  confedera- 
tion had  become  so  intolerable  that  the  voice  of  the  nation 
cried  out  for  relief. 

The  first  decisive  measures  proceeded  from  the  merchants^ 
who  came  forward  simultaneously  in  all  parts  of  the  country, 
with  representations  of  the  utter  prostration  of  the  mercantile 
mterests,  and  petitions  for  a  speedy  and  efficient  remedy.  It 
was  shown,  that  the  advantages  of  this  most  important  source 
of  national  prosperity,  were  flowing  into  the  hands  of 
foreigners,  and  that  the  native  merchants  were  suffering  for 
the  want  of  a  just  protection,  and  a  uniform  system  of  trade. 
The  wise  and  reflecting  were  convinced  that  some  decided 
efforts  were  necessary  to  strengthen  the  general  government, 
or  iLat  a  dissolution  of  the  union,  and  perhaps  a  devastating 
anarchy,  would  be  inevitable. 


Who  led  the  rebellion  in  Massachu- 
setts ? 

What  success  had  he  ? 

What  force  was  sent  against  the  in- 
surgents ? 

How  did  Greneral  Lincoln  proceed  ? 


What  was  the  result  ? 

What  change  in  the  goyeinment  l» 

came  necessary  ? 
Who  had  foreseen  its  necessity  f 
What  was  done  ly  the  merchants  ' 


308 


CONVENTION  AT  ALEXANDRIA 


The  first  step  towards  the  formation  of  a  new  constitution 
was  rather  accidental  than  premeditated.  Certain  citizens  ol 
Virg'nia  and  Maryland  had  formed  a  scheme  for  promoting 
the  navigation  of  the  Potomac  river  and  Chesapeake  bay,  aud 
commissioners  were  appointed  by  those  two  slates  to  meet  at 
Alexandria,  in  March,  1785,  and  devise  some  plan  of  opera- 
tion. These  persons  made  a  visit  to  Mount  Vernon,  and, 
while  there,  it  was  proposed  among  themselves  that  more 
important  objects  should  be  connected  with  the  purpose  at 
first  in  view,  and  that  the  state  governments  should  be  soli- 
cited to  appoint  other  commissioners  with  more  enlarged 
powers,  instructed  to  form  a  plan  for  maintaining  a  naval 
force  in  the  Chesapeake,  and  also  to  fix  upon  some  system 
of  duties,  upon  exports  and  imports,  in  which  both  states 
should  agree,  and  that  in  the  end,  congress  should  be  peti- 
tioned to  allow  these  privileges. 

This  project  was  approved  by  the  legislature  of  Virginia, 
and  commissioners  were  accordingly  appointed.  The  same 
legislature  passed  a  resolution,  recommending  the  design  to 
other  states,  and  inviting  them  to  unite,  by  their  commis 
sioners,  in  an  attempt  to  establish  such  a  system  of  com* 
mercial  relations  as  would  promote  general  harmony  and 
prosperity.  Five  states,  in  addition  to  Virginia,  acceded  it 
this  proposition,  namely,  Maryland,  Delaware,  Pennsylvania 
New  Jersey,  and  New  York.  From  these  states,  commis 
sioners  assembled  at  Annapolis,  in  September,  1786,  but  they 
had  hardly  entered  into  a  discussion  of  the  topics  which  na 
turally  forced  themselves  into  view,  before  they  discovered 
the  powers  with  which  they  were  entrusted,  to  be  so  limited 
as  to  tie  up  their  hands  from  effecting  any  purpose  that  could 
be  of  essential  utility.  On  this  account,  as  well  as  from  thi 
circumstance,  that  so  few  states  were  represented,  they 
wisely  declined  deciding  on  any  important  measures  in  re 
ference  to  the  particular  subjects  for  which  they  had  comt 
together.  This  convention  is  memorable,  however,  as  having 
been  the  prelude  to  the  one  which  followed. 

Before  the  commissioners  adjourned,  a  report  was  agreed 
upon,  in  which  the  necessity  of  a  revision  and  reform  of  the 
articles  of  the  old  federal  compact  was  strongly  urged,  and 
which  contained  a  recommendation  to  ail  the  state  legisla 


l^hat  was  the  first  step  taken  to-  |  What  was  accomplished  by  the  cow 
wards  the  foimation  of  a  new  con-  I    missioners  at  Alexandria  ? 
stitution  ?  I  By  the  assembly  at  ADnapoUi  / 


r 


THK  FEDERAL  CONVENTION. 


309 


nires,  for  the  appointment  of  deputies,  lu  meet  at  Philadel- 
phia, with  more  ample  powers  and  instructions.  This  report 
was  laid  before  congress,  and  a  resolution  was  passed  by  thai 
body,  recommending  a  convention  for  the  purpose  of  re- 
vising the  articles  of  confederation,  and  giving  a  more  sub 
stantial  and  efficient  form  to  the  constitution  of  the  general 
government. 

In  conformity  with  these  recommendations,  a  convention 
of  delegates  from  the  several  states  met  at  Philadelphia,  in 
May,  1787.  Of  this  body  of  eminent  statesmen,  George 
Washington  was  unanimously  elected  president.  He  hnd 
Deen  early  solicited  to  add  the  weight  of  his  influence  to  the 
convention  by  Mr.  Madison,  one  of  its  strongest  advocates, 
but  had  with  characteristic  modesty  declined.  No  denial, 
however,  would  be  taken  either  by  the  legislature  of  Vir- 
ginia, who  elected  him  a  delegate,  or  by  the  august  body 
itself,  who  chose  that  the  chief  of  the  revolution  should  pre- 
side over  its  deliberations,  while  forming  the  constitution  of 
the  country  which  he  had  saved  from  oppression  and  anarchy. 

The  convention  was  composed  of  some  of  the  most  illus- 
trious men,  whose  names  adorn  our  national  history.  Be- 
sides Washington  himself,  there  were  Adams,  Jefl^erson,  Ma 
dison,  Patrick  Henry,  Franklin,  Hamiltcni,  Jay,  Kandolph 
the  Lees,  and  a  host  of  others.  The  discussion  and  arrange- 
ment of  the  several  articles,  was  carried  on  with  closed  doors, 
and  lasted  four  months.  At  length,  on  the  17th  of  September, 
the  proposed  constitution  was  made  public.  It  was  presenter 
to  congress,  and  by  that  body  submitted  to  the  sev>3ial  states 
for  acceptance. 

This  constitution  is  essentially  different  from  the  old 
articles  of  confederation.  The  most  important  point  of  dif- 
ference, consists  in  giving  to  the  general  government  the  con- 
Iroul  of  the  revenue,  and  the  regulation  of  commerce  and 
thus  enabling  the  congress  to  raise  money  directly  from  the 
people,  instead  of  resorting  to  the  old  system  of  requisitions 
on  the  state  governments,  which  had  been  found  totally  in- 
efficient. 

By  the  constitution  of  the  United  States,  the  government 
is  made  to  consist  of  three  departments,  the  legislative,  ex 


Wliere  did  they  recommend  a  con- 
vention to  be  held  ? 
What  was  done  by  congress  ? 
Wlien  did  the  convention  assemble  ? 
Who  was  chosen  president  ? 
Who  was  one  of  its  strongest  atdvo- 
li 


Who  were  distinguished  members  of 

the  convention  ? 
When  was  the  pro^wwied  constitutiiii 

made  public  ? 
What  were  its  pih.     \)  features  f 


SlO 


THE   FEDERAL  CONSTITUTION. 


ecutive  and  judicial.  The  legislative  or  law-making  depart- 
ment, consists  of  a  senate  and  house  of  representatives,  col- 
lectively styled  the  congress.  The  members  of  the  house 
of  representatives  are  chosen  by  the  people,  in  districts  con- 
taining a  certain  number  of  inhabitants ;  and  they  hold  the 
office  for  two  years. 

The  senators  are  chosen  by  the  state  legislature,  two  from 
ach  state,  to  hold  ofHce  for  six  years,  one-third  of  the  senate 
being  renewed  every  two  years.    Besides  assisting  in  the 
making  of  laws,  this  body  confirms  the  appointments  of  ex 
ecutive  officers  made  by  the  president,  and  ratifies  treaties. 

The  executive  department  consists  of  the  president,  and 
the  officers  appointed  by  him,  to  execute  the  laws.  The 
president  is  appointed  by  electors,  who  are  chosen  by  the 
people ;  or  by  the  representatives,  when  there  is  no  choice 
by  a  majority  of  the  electors.  He  is  elected  for  four  years 
but  may  be  elected  again.  The  command  of  the  army  ana 
navy,  the  appointment  of  all  civil,  military  and  naval  officers, 
acting  by  authority  of  the  United  States,  and  the  ratification 
of  treaties  are  vested  in  him,  the  two  latter  powers  being  sub- 
ject, however,  to  the  confirmation  or  rejection  of  the  senate. 

Another  important  power  of  the  president  is,  that  of  put- 
isig  ^  negative,  or  veto,  on  such  acts  of  congress  as  he  may 
Jisnppro  A  majority  of  two-thirds  of  both  houses  is  then 
necessary,  in  order  to  give  the  act  the  authority  of  a  law. 
without  the  sanction  of  the  president. 

By  the  constitution,  congress  is  authorised  to  declare  war, 
rnise  and  support  armies,  maintain  a  navy,  collect  revenue,  lay 
direct  laxes,  regulate  commerce,  coin  money,  and  provide  in 
general  for  the  security  and  welfare  of  the  nation. 

The  judicial  department  of  the  government  consists  of  a 
supreme  court,  and  such  district  courts  as  congress  may  esta- 
blish. The  judges  in  these  courts  have  jurisdiction  of  all 
cases  arising  under  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  and  under 
treaties,  as  well  as  the  cases  between  individuals  of  difTerenl 
states,  and  between  foreigners  and  citizens. 

The  constitution  no  sooner  appeared,  than  it  was  attacked 
with  great  earnestness  by  a  powerful  party.  Various  objec- 
fions  were  made  to  its  several  provisions,  and  a  discussion 


What  are  the  uiree  departments  of 

<he  government  ? 
W  nat  constitutes  the  legislative  de- 

^"-^ent  f 
h/escnbe  the  senate. 
The  executive  departm'^nt. 


What  are  the  chief  powers  of  the 

president  P 
Of  the  congress  ? 
Describe  the  judicial  department. 
What  ensued  on  the  publication  ol 

the  proposed  constitution  / 


FORMATION  OF  PARTIES. 


sn 


in  the  public  journals  ensued,  lively  and  animated,  in  propor 
tion  to  the  importance  of  the  subject.  It  was  indeed  a  ques 
^ion  of  life  and  death  to  the  political  existence  of  the  nation, 
and  the  parties  to  which  it  gave  rise,  have  under  difFerem 
names  divided  the  country  ever  since. 

The  chief  supporters  of  the  constitution,  Madison,  Hamil- 
ton and  Jay,  had  published,  while  it  was  under  consideration, 
a  series  of  letters,  signed  the  Federalist,  a  name  which  was 
subsequently  applied  to  the  party  who  adopted  their  opinions 
Their  opposers  were  styled  anti-federalists, a  designation  which 
was  afterwards  changed  to  republicans,  democrats,  and  sundry 
other  terms  ;  the  party  meanwhile  preserving  its  identity,  by 
opposing  such  measures  as  appeared  to  them  calculated  to 
withdraw  power  from  the  people,  and  the  individual  states, 
for  the  purpose  of  lodging  it  in  the  hands  of  the  general 
government. 

The  constant  struggle  which  has  since  been  maintained 
between  these  parties,  has  been  much  deprecated  by  those 
who  regard  the  occasional  excesses  to  which  it  leads,  rather 
than  the  necessity  from  which  it  arises.  It  is  essential  to  the 
existence  of  free  institutions,  that  public  measures  should  be 
freely  discussed  and  examined  on  every  side.  Such  discus- 
sions enlighten  the  people,  and  prevent  the  adoption  of  mea- 
sures dangerous  to  their  liberties  ;  and  if  a  storm  occasionally 
arise,  it  serves  but  to  clear  the  political  atmosphere,  and 
render  it  more  suitable  for  the  hardy  sons  of  liberty  to  inhale. 
A  constant  dead  calm,  is  the  characteristic  of  that  political 
legion  only  where  despotism  silences  every  murmur,  and 
disperses  every  cloud  of  discontent. 

Notwithstanding  the  animated  opposition  which  was  made 
to  it,  the  federal  constitution  soon  obtained  the  assent  of  all 
the  states,  save  two — Rhode  Island  and  North  Carolina. 
New  York  was  said  to  have  acceded,  chiefly  from  fear  of 
being  excluded  from  the  union ;  and,  in  consenting,  she  hao 
demanded  a  new  convention  to  make  amendments  in  the  act. 
Even  Virginia  thought  it  necessary  to  propose  alterations. 
She  required  a  declaration  of  rights,  and  the  limitation  that 
the  president  should  be  but  once  re-elected.    The  discus- 


What  were  its  supporters  called  ? 
What  circumstance  gave  them  this 
name  ? 

What  were  its  opponents  called  ? 
What  measure  did  they  oppose  ? 
Ire  the  existence  of  opposite  politi- 


cal parties  considered  essential  to 

freedom  ? 
What  states  at  once  adopted  the  con  < 

stitution  ? 
What  states  declined  acceding  to  it  f 
What  is  said  of  New  York  ? 
0£_  Virginia? 


i 


312 


WA^HiNGtON  ELECTED  PRESIDE^^f. 


sions  concerning  these  points  of  difference,  occupied  ilte  yeai 
1788,  alter  which  the  constitution  was  generally  accepted, 
and  the  grand  point  of  a  federal  union  achieved. 

Tilt-  fourth  of  March,  1789,  was  the  time  appointed  for  the 
commencement  of  the  new  government.  So  wanting,  how- 
ever, were  many  of  the  states,  or  their  representatives,  m 
zeal,  that  three  v/eeks  elapsed  before  a  full  meeting  of  both 
houses  could  be  procured.  At  length  the  votes  for  president 
and  vice-president  of  the  United  States  were  opened  and 
counted  in  the  senate,  when  it  was  found  that  George  Wash- 
ington was  unanimously  elected  president,  and  John  Adams, 
having  received  the  second  number  of  votes,  was  elected  vice- 
president. 

With  unfeigned  reluctance,  occasioned  both  by  the  love  of 
retirement  and  tenderness  for  his  reputation,  did  the  illustri- 
ous Washington  accept  the  first  office  of  the  nation.  The 
sacrifice  was  demanded  of  him,  as,  m  the  words  of  Hamilton, 
the  success  of  the  great  experimt?nt,  viz.  the  working  and 
existence  of  the  new  government  altogether  depended  upon 
the  moral  force  which  the  name  and  character  of  Washington 
would  bring  to  its  chief  office. 


When  was  it  generally  accepted  ? 
What  was  the  time  appointed  for  the 

meeting  of  the  first  congress  under 

the  new  constitution  ? 
What  IS  said  of  the  representatives  ? 
(Vho  was  found  to  have  been  chosen 


Who  was  the  first  vice-president  ? 

What  is  said  of  Washington  ? 

What  was  said  by  Hamilton  ? 

Where  was  Wasliington  when  he  re- 
ceived the  intelligence  of  hix  elte* 
tion  ? 

How  did  he  receive  it  ? 


Washington's  reception  at  trenton. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
Washington's  administration. 

The  intelligence  of  his  being  elected  to  the  office  of  chief 
magistrate  of  the  United  States,  was  communicated  to  Gene- 
ral Washington,  while  on  his  farm  at  Mount  Vernon,  on  the 
14th  of  April,  1789.  He  accepted  this  high  honour  with 
expressions  of  gratitude  for  this  new  proof  of  the  attachment 
and  confidence  of  his  country,  and  with  declarations  of  diffi- 
dence in  himself.  ^I  wish^'  he  said,  *  that  there  may  not  be 
reasons  for  regretting  the  choice ;  for,  indeed,  all  I  can  pro- 
mise, is  to  accomplish  that  which  can  be  done  by  an  honest 
zeal'  I 

As  his  presence  at  the  seat  of  government  was  immediately 
required,  he  set  out  from  Mount  Vernon  on  the  second  day 
after  receiving  notice  of  his  appointment. 

His  journey  to  New  York  bore  the  character  of  a  tri- 
umphal procession.  The  roads  were  crowded  with  multi 
tudes  desiring  to  see  the  '  man  of  the  people.'  Escorts  of 
militia  and  gentlemen  of  the  highest  respectability  attended 
him  from  state  to  state.  Addresses  of  congratulation  were 
presented  to  him  at  the  several  towns  through  which  he 
passed,  to  which  he  returned  answers  marked  with  his  cha- 
racteristic dignity  and  modesty. 

His  reception  at  Trenton,  and  the  ceremony  of  inaugura- 
tion, are  thus  described  by  Dr.  Ramsay : 

*  When  Washington  crossed  the  Delaware,  and  landed  on 
the  Jersey  shore,  he  was  saluted  with  three  cheers  by  the 
inhabitants  of  the  vicinity.  When  he  came  to  the  brow  of 
the  hill,  on  his  way  to  Trenton,  a  triumphal  arch  was  erected 
on  the  bridge,  by  the  direction  of  the  ladies  of  the  place. 
The  crown  of  the  arch  was  highly  ornamented  with  :*mperial 
laurels  and  flowers  :  and  on  it  was  displayed  in  large  charac- 
ters, December  26t/i,  1776.  On  the  sweep  of  the  aich  be- 
neath was  this  inscription  :  The  defender  of  the  mothers  wiU 
also  protect  their  daughters.  On  the  north  side  were  ranged 
a  number  of  little  girls,  dressed  in  white,  with  garlands  of 
flowers  on  their  heads,  and  baskets  of  flowers  on  their  arms 
in  tne  second  row  stood  the  young  ladies,  and  behind  theos 
the  married  ladies  of  the  neighbourhood.    The  instani  he 


Wlien  did  he  set  out  for  New  York  ?  I  His  reception  at  frentosu 
Dtescribe  his  journey  I 


314 


WASHINGTON'S  INAUGURATION. 


passed  the  arch,  the  young  girls  began  to  sing  the  following 
ode: 

**  Welcome,  mighty  chief,  once  more 
Welcome  to  this  grateful  shore: 
Now  no  mercenary  foe 
Aims  again  the  fatal  blow, 
Aims  at  thee  the  fatal  blow. 

"  Virgins  fair,  and  matrons  grave, 
These,  thy  conquering  arm  did  save. 
Build  for  thee  triumphal  bowers: 
Strew,  ye  fair,  his  way  with  flowers, 
Strew  you7  hero's  way  with  flowers." 

*  As  they  sung  the  last  lines,  they  strewed  their  flowers  on 
llie  road  before  their  beloved  deliverer.  His  situation  on  thi« 
occasion,  contrasted  with  what  he  had  felt  on  the  same  spot 
in  December,  1776,  when  the  affairs  of  America  were  at  the 
lowest  ebb  of  depression,  filled  him  with  sensations  that  can- 
not be  described.  He  was  met  by  a  committee  of  congress 
in  New  Jersey,  who  conducted  him  to  Elizabethtown  Point 
where  he  embarked  for  New  York  in  an  elegant  barge  of 
thirteen  oars,  manned  by  thirteen  branch  pilots.  On  landing 
in  New  York,  he  was  conducted  with  military  honours  to 
the  apartments  provided  for  him.  There  he  received  the 
congratulations  ot  great  numbeis,  who  pressed  round  him  to 
express  their  joy  on  seeing  the  man  who  possessed  the  love 
of  the  nation  at  the  head  of  its  government. 

'  The  30th  of  April  was  fixed  for  his  taking  the  oath  of 
ofhce,  which  is  in  the  following  words:  *'I  do  solepinly 
swear  that  I  will  faithfully  execute  the  office  of  president  of 
the  United  States,  and  will  to  the  best  of  my  ability  preserve, 
protect,  and  defend  the  constitution  of  the  United  States." 
This  was  administered  by  R.  R.  Livingston,  the  chancellor 
of  the  state  of  New  York,  in  the  presence  of  both  branches 
of  the  national  legislature,  and  an  immense  concourse  of  citi- 
zens. An  awful  silence  prevailed  among  the  spectators.  It 
was  a  minute  of  the  most  sublime  political  joy.  The  chan- 
cellor then  proclaimed  hin\  president  of  the  United  States. 
This  was  answered  by  the  discharge  of  thirteen  guns,  and  by 
the  effusicn  of  shouts  from  ten  thousand  grateful  and  affec- 
tionate hearts. 

*  The  president,  after  bowing  respectfully  to  the  people 


Whicher  aid  he  proceed  from  Tren- 
ton ? 

How  was   he  conveyed  to  New 
Yark } 


Describe  his  reception  at  New  York? 
When  did  he  take  the  oath  of  office 
What  was  it  ? 
Describe  the  inaug-ir^tjoiL 


WASHINGTON  S  INAUGURAL  ADDRE09.  315 

retired  to  the  senate  chamber,  where  he  addressed  both 
nouses,  with  the  appellation  of  "  Fellow  citizens  of  the  senate 
and  house  of  representatives,"  in  an  impressive  speech,  in 
which,  with  his  usual  modesty,  he  declared  his  "  incapacity 
for  the  mighty  and  untried  cares  before  him,"  and  offered  his 
.fervent  supplications  *'to  the  Almighty  Being,  whose  provi- 
dential aids  can  supply  every  human  defect,  that  his  benedic 
tion  would  consecrate,  to  the  liberties  and  happiness  of  th 
United  States,  a  government  instituted  by  themselves,  fof 
those  essential  purposes ;  and  that  he  would  enable  every 
agent,  employed  in  its  administration,  to  execute  with  success 
the  functions  allotted  to  his  charge."  He  also  declared  *'  that 
no  truth  was  more  thoroughly  established,  than  that  there 
exists  an  indissoluble  union  between  virtue  and  happiness  ;— 
between  duty  and  advantage  ;  between  the  genuine  maxims 
of  an  honest  and  magnanimous  people,  and  the  solid  rewards 
of  public  prosperity  and  felicity  ;  and  that  the  propitious 
smiles  of  heaven  could  never  be  expected  on  a  nation  that 
disregarded  the  eternal  rules  of  order  and  right,  w^hich  heaven 
Itself  had  ordained." 

'After  making  some  personal  observations,  that  in  conform- 
ity to  the  principle  he  adopted,  when  made  commander  in 
chief  of  the  army,  to  renounce  all  pecuniary  compensation, 

he  declined,  as  inapplicable  to  himself,  any  share  in  the 
personal  emoluments  included  in  a  permanent  provision  for 
he  executive  department,"  and  prayed  "  that  the  pecuniary 
estimates  for  the  station  in  which  he  was  placed,  should, 
during  his  continuance  therein,  be  limited  to  such  actual  ex- 
penditures as  the  public  good  might  be  thought  to  require.'* 
He  then  took  his  leave  ;  "  but  not  without  resorting,  once 
more,  in  humble  supplication  to  the  benign  Parent  of  the 
human  race,  that  since  he  had  been  pleased  to  favour  the 
American  people  with  opportunities  for  deliberating  in  perfeci 
tranquillity,  and  dispositions  for  deciding  with  unparalleled 
unanimity,  on  a  form  of  government,  for  the  security  of  theit 
union,  and  the  advancement  of  their  happiness,  so  his  divine 
blessing  might  be  equally  conspicuous  in  the  enlarged  views, 
the  temperate  consultations,  and  the  wise  measures  on  which 
the  success  of  the  government  must  depend."  ' 

No  sooner  was  the  federal  government  thus  completed  by 
tlie  inauguration  of  its  chief,  than  congress  proceeded  at  once 
to  the  consideration  of  what  most  pressed  upon  its  attention--^ 


Wkat  was  the  tenor  of  hii  inaugural  addreff  / 


316  PROCEEDINGS  OF   THE    FIRST  CONGRESS. 


the  revenue.  But  as  every  thing  had  hitherto  remained  un- 
eettled,  the  discussion  on  this  point  involved  the  question  o< 
foieign  policy  and  preference ;  and,  leading  lo  a  w^arm  debate 
occasioned  a  collision  between  parties  at  the  very  outset  of 
their  legislative  career. 

Mr.  Madison  proposed  a  tax  upon  imported  goods  and  ton 
nage.  This,  in  principle,  w^as  objected  to  by  none;  but  ai 
the  tonnage  duty,  pressing  upon  foreign  vessels  exclusively, 
was  intended  to  act  in  favour  of  domestic,  and  at  the  expense 
of  foreign  shipping,  it  excited  opposition.  Some  urged  thai 
America  had  few^  ships  of  her  own,  and  needed  the  use  of 
those  which  this  duty  might  drive  away.  But  Madison 
pointed  out,  in  answer,  the  necessity  of  fostering  the  infant 
nav}  of  the  country,  as  the  only  defensive  force  ihat  would 
be  required  or  available,  in  a  future  war.*  This  argument 
overcame  the  objections,  and  the  clause  establishing  duties  on 
imports  and  tonnage  was  passed. 

A  provision  being  thus  made  for  raising  a  revenue  and  an- 
swering the  just  debts  of  the  states,  congress  proceeded  to 
complete  the  machine  of  government,  by  the  institution  of  an 
executive  cabinet.  Departments  were  erected,  of  the  treasury, 
of  war,  and  of  state — the  latter  including  foreign  and  domestic 
relations  ;  and  these  ministerial  departments  were  filled  up 
with  able  statesmen.  Colonel  Hamilton,  the  friend  of  Wash 
ington,  and  he  who  had  chiefly  induced  him  to  accept  the 
guidance  of  the  new  government,  was  appointed  secretary  of 
the  treasury.  General  Knox,  who  had  been  secretary  of  war 
under  congress,  was  now  re-appointed  ;  whilst  Mr.  Jefl^erson, 
envoy  in  France,  but  then  on  his  return  to  the  United  States, 
was  named  secretary  of  state.  At  the  head  of  the  judicial 
department  w^as  placed  Mr.  Jay,  as  chief  justice,  one  of  the 
most  estimable  characters  of  the  time. 

Such  were  the  chief  results  of  the  first  session  of  congress 
as  established  by  the  constitution.  Immediately  after  its 
close,  Washington  undertook  a  journey  through  the  New 


What  was  the  first  object  of  attention 

in  congress  ? 
What  did  Mr.  Madison  propose  f 
Why  was  it  opposed  ? 
What  was  Madison's  reply  ? 
What  duties  were  established  ? 
What  was  next  instituted  ? 


What  departments  were  created  ? 
What  secretaries  were  appointed  ? 
Who  was  appointed  chief  justice  ol 

the  supreme  court  of  the  United 

States  ? 

Whither  did  Washington  proceed 
after  congress  rose  r 


•  rt  is  pleasant  to  remember  that  the  chief  triumphs  of  the  Ameiiean  navy 
were  accomplished  during  the  presidency  of  that  great  statesman,  who  had 
been  one  of  its  earliest  friends  and  supporters. 


DEBTS  OF  THE  STATES. 


317 


England  states,  in  every  quarter  of  which  he  was  welcomed 
with  the  most  affectionate  enthusiasm.  Nor  could  this  tribute 
be  paid  to  his  person  exclusively,  without  in  some  degree 
producing  a  share  of  such  feeling  for  his  office.  North  Ca- 
rolina, in  this  recess,  gave  up  her  opposition ;  and  her  legis- 
lature now  by  a  vote  declared  its  adhesion  to  the  union. 

The  next  session  of  congress  commenced  in  January,  1790. 
its  first  important  business  was  to  act  upon  the  famous  report 
of  Mr.  Hamilton,  the  secretary  of  the  treasury,  in  which  he 
proposed  a  plan  for  funding  the  public  debt  by  raising  a  loan 
equal  to  the  whole  amount  of  the  debt.  To  this  the  opposi- 
tion, or  anti-federal  party,  objected ;  arguing  that  it  was  ex- 
pedient to  pay  foreigners  the  entire  of  their  demand  ;  but  as 
the  American  holder  of  paper  money  had,  for  the  most  part, 
received  it  at  a  most  depreciated  value,  he  should  be  paid 
only  the  price  at  which  he  bought  it.  Mr.  Jackson  opposed 
the  ministerial  measure  on  the  broad  principle  of  aversion  to 
the  system  of  public  debt  altogether.  There  was  more  reason 
for  this  objection,  as  Hamilton  proposed  to  render  a  portion 
of  the  public  debt  irredeemable  except  with  the  holder's 
consent. 

Notwithstanding  the  opposition  to  the  secretary's  measure, 
it  was  agreed  to.  But  a  very  important  part  of  the  arrange- 
ment remained  behind.  This  referred  to  the  debts  incurred 
separately  by  each  state  for  carrying  on  the  war.  These 
Hamilton  proposed  that  congress  should  pay,  and  throw  into 
the  common  fund.  The  opposition  maintained  that  each 
state  should  account  for,  and  settle  its  own  debt.  And  this 
they  urged,  on  the  principle  that  if  the  federal  government 
thus  made  the  paying  of  interest  and  raising  of  funds  to  centre 
in  itself,  it  would  wield  a  power  inconsistent  with  the  rights 
and  independence  of  the  separate  states. 

This  was  a  question  upon  which  the  federalists  and  anti- 
federalists,  or  republicans,  as  they  now  began  to  be  called, 
were  brought  into  direct  collision,  and  the  dispute  was  yet 
warmer  than  any  hitherto  known.  The  federalists  exclaimed, 
that  no  government  could  exist,  which  was  considered  un- 
worthy of  this  confidence.   The  republicans  urged,  that  these 


Honv  was  he  received  ? 
What  state  now  accepted  the  consti- 
ti  tion  ? 

Wh«n  did  congress  again  assemble  ? 
What  was  its  first  important  business  ? 
Who  opposed  Hamilton 'f  measure  ? 
On  wnat  grounn  r 


Was  the  measure  agreed  to  ? 
What  part  of  the  arrangement  r# 

mained  unsettled  / 
What  was  Hamilt'  a's  prupc«itkni  f 
Who  opposed  it  ? 
What  ensued  ? 


27* 


»18 


DEBTS  OF  THE  STATES. 


plans  raised  up  a  host  of  fundholders  and  public  ctrediton 
bound  in  obligation  to  the  government,  which  would  hence- 
forth be  supported  and  carried  on  by  a  system  of  corruption. 

The  resolution  of  the  treasury  secretary  was  at  first  carried 
by  a  few  voices ;  but  on  the  deputies  from  North  Carolina, 
lately  admitted  into  the  union,  soon  after  taking  their  seats  in 
congress,  the  question  was  re-committed,  ^nd  the  original 
resolution  rejected  by  the  same  majority  which  had  but  just 
accepted  it.  '  So  high,'  says  Mr.  Jefferson,  *  were  the  feudtf 
excited  by  this  subject,  that  on  its  rejection,  business  was 
suspended.  Congress  met  and  adjourned  from  day  to  day, 
without  doing  any  thing,  the  parties  being  too  much  out  of 
temper  to  do  business  together.' 

In  consequence  of  having  been  the  principal  theatre  of  the 
war,  the  northern  states  were  most  in  debt ;  and  if  they  were 
to  be  paid  by  the  union  in  general,  it  would  be  at  the  expense 
of  the  southern  states.  The  latter,  therefore,  opposed  the 
government  plan  most  violently.  Indeed,  this  was  the  secret 
of  the  long  secession  of  North  Carolina  from  the  federal  go- 
vernment. Hamilton,  however,  represented  to  the  leading 
members  on  the  opposite  side,  that  the  consequence  of  hold- 
ing out  and  prolonging  this  difference  might  prove  a  dissolution 
of  the  union.  He  prayed  some  of  them,  in  consequence,  to 
withdraw  their  negative  votes ;  and  though  this  measure 
pressed  severely  on  the  southern  states,  some  other  measures 
should  be  passed  which  would  compensate  them. 

It  had  been  previously  proposed  to  fix  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment either  at  Philadelphia  or  at  Georgetown  on  the  Potomac ; 
and  it  was  tnought,  that  by  giving  it  to  Philadelphia  for  ten 
years,  and  to  Georgetown  permanently  afterwards,  the  fer- 
ment which  might  be  excited  by  the  other  measures,  would 
be  calmed.  Two  of  the  Potomac  members.  White  and  Lee, 
agreed  to  change  their  vote  ;  and  Hamilton  undertook  to  carry 
the  other  point.  Thus  did  the  ability  of  the  secretary  carry 
this  important  measure,  which  not  only  preserved  the  public 
credit  of  the  country  entire,  but  gave  strength  and  efficiency 
to  the  federal  government  at  a  period  when  weakness  would 
have  been  highly  and  permanently  injurious. 

The  raising  of  supplies  to  meet  the  interest  of  this  newly 
funded  debt,  was  a  task  that  still  remained  for  the  minister, 


Was  the  resolution  carried  ? 
What  occasioned  its  subsequent  re- 
jection ? 

What  was  then  the  state  of  affairs  ? 
What  states  were  most  in  debt  ? 


Why  did  the  southern  states  oppofe 

Hamilton's  measure  ? 
How  did  he  succeed  iu  carrying  hM 

point  ? 

What  WM  the  effect  of  hii  suoeeM  ' 


INDIAN  HOSTILITIES. 


319 


and  which  was  deferred  till  the  following  session  of  congress. 
Phis  he  proposed  to  accomplish  by  duties  on  wine,  lea,  and 
other  luxuries  ;  but  chiefly  by  an  excise  upon  spirits  distilled 
within  the  country.  This  last  tax  was  violently  opposed,  but 
the  opponents  of  the  measure  were  unable  to  show  any  more 
feasible  means  of  raising  the  necessary  revenue ;  and  the 
excise  bill  passed. 

Hamilton's  next  measure,  for  the  completion  of  his  com 
mercial  and  monied  system,  was  the  establishment  of  a 
national  bank.  This  was  pronounced  by  the  republican 
party  to  be  aristocratical  and  unconstitutional.  Jefferson 
opposed  it  with  great  earnestness,  and  both  he  and  Hamilton 
Laving,  after  the  passage  of  the  bill,  submitted  their  opinions 
to  the  consideration  of  the  president,  he  after  some  delibera- 
tion decided  in  favour  of  his  treasury  minister;  and  the 
establishment  of  a  national  bank  was  in  consequence  decided 

The  effect  of  this  measure  was  soon  felt  in  the  revival 
of  public  credit  and  commercial  prosperity.  Public  paper 
which  had  before  been  at  a  very  great  discount,  rapidly  rose 
to  par,  and  property  which  had  previously  suffered  grea 
depreciation,  now  rapidly  increased  in  value.  Every  depart- 
ment of  industry  was  invigorated  and  enlivened  by  the  esta 
blishment  of  a  convenient  and  uniform  currency. 

While  the  financial  system  of  the  United  States  was  thus 
acquiring  permanence  and  diffusing  prosperity  under  the 
directing  genius  of  Hamilton,  a  cloud  of  war  made  its  ap- 
pearance among  the  Indian  nations  on  the  frontier.  Of  these, 
the  Creeks  in  the  south  kept  Georgia  on  the  alert ;  whilst  on 
the  north-west  beyond  the  Ohio,  certain  tribes,  cherishing 
vengeance  for  past  hostilities  against  them,  carried  on  a  desul 
tory  warfare;  plundering  and  ravaging  detached  settlements. 
The  president  directed  his  attention  first  towards  the  Creeks, 
with  whom  adjustment  was  rendered  difficult  by  theii  con- 
nexion with  Spain.  Tiie  nrst  attempt  to  brir.g  about  an  ac- 
commodation failed,  but,  in  1790,  Gillivray  their  chief,  waa 
induced  to  proceed  to  New  York,  and  conclude  a  treaty. 

Similar  overtures  made  to  the  Indians  beyond  the  Ohio 
were  not  attended  with  any  good  result.    Washington  regard 


How  did  Hamilton  propose  to  raise  a 

revenue  ? 
What  tax  was  strongly  opposed  ? 
W^at  was  Hamilton's  next  measure  ? 
Who  opposed  it  ? 

How  dj  1  V'^'Mnficton  decide  Uie  mat- 
ter/ 


What  were  the  immediate  conse- 
quences of  I  he  establishment  of  • 
national  bat  k  ? 

What  Indians  were  hostile  to  tlM 
United  States  ? 

When  were  the  Creeks  conciliated? 

What  Ind-ans  remained  hostile  ? 


^20  ])EFEAT  OF  OENERAL  «t  CLAIft. 

ing  the  employment  of  a  regular  force  as  necessary,  pres»e^ 
on  congress  the  increase  of  the  army,  which  did  n(»t  at  tha 
time  exceed  1,200  men.  But  his  recommendation  was  una- 
vailing ;  and  the  settlers  of  the  west  were  left  for  a  time  tc 
their  own  defence 

At  length,  in  1790,  some  funds  and  troops  were  voted  ;  and 
in  the  autumn  of  that  year,  an  expedition  of  1,500  men  under 
General  Harmer  was  sent  up  the  river  Wabash,  where  he 
succeeded  in  burning  some  Indian  villages  ;  but,  in  the  end 
•^treated  with  little  honour  and  much  loss.  This  check  pro- 
cured for  Washington  permission  to  raise  a  greater  number  of 
troops.  Two  expeditions  were  undertaken  in  the  following 
year,  both  without  success. 

Finally  a  considerable  force  under  General  St.  Clair  suffered 
a  most  disastrous  defeat.  He  was  surrounded  by  the  Indians ; 
and  unable  either  to  dislodge  them  or  sustain  their  fire,  the 
Americans  were  driven  in  disorderly  flight  a  distance  of  30 
miles  in  four  hours.  They  lost  60  ofiicers,  amongst  whom 
was  General  Butler,  and  upwards  of  800  men,  more  than  half 
their  force ;  and  yet  the  Indians  were  not  supposed  to  out- 
number their  enemies. 

This  disaster  gave  rise  to  a  proposal  from  the  president  to 
raise  the  military  force  of  the  country  to  6,000  men,  which, 
after  some  opposition  in  congress,  was  finally  agreed  to. 

The  state  of  Vermont,  which  having  been  formerly  claimed 
by  New  York  and  New  Hampshire,  had,  in  1777,  refused  to 
submit  to  either,  and  declared  itself  independent,  applied  in 
1791  to  be  admitted  into  the  Union,  and  was  accordingly  re- 
ceived. Kentucky,  which  had  hitherto  been  a  part  of  Vir- 
ginia, was  also  admitted  by  an  act  which  was  to  take  effect  on 
the  first  of  June  in  the  succeeding  year. 

In  order  to  determine  the  ratio  of  representation  according 
to  the  population,  a  census  was  required  by  the  constitution 
to  be  taken  every  tenth  year.  The  first  was  completed  in 
1791  ;  by  which  it  appeared  that  the  whole  number  of  inhabi 
tants  was  3,921,326,  of  whom  695,655  were  slaves. 

In  the  spring  of  1791 ,  Washington  made  a  tour  through  the 
soathern  states,  on  which  occasion,  stopping  upon  the  Poto- 
Oiac,  he  selected,  according  to  the  powers  entrusted  to  him,  the 


^^at  was  proposed  \'y  Washington  ? 
I\^hat  was  the  progress  of  the  Indian 

war  in  1790  ? 
*Vhat  is  said  of  St.  Clair's  expedition  ? 
What  increase  of  the  military  force 

of  the  nation  was  the  consequence 

of  this  disaster  f 


What  states  were  admitted  to  the 

Union  ? 
What  is  said  of  tUe  census  ? 
What  was  its  result  in  1791  ? 
What  place  did  Washington  select  fO( 

the  metropolis  of  the  country  / 


WASHINGTON   RE-ELECTED  PRESIDENT. 


site  for  the  capital  of  the  union.  He  was  greeted  thrctighoui 
his  progress  with  affectionate  welcome;  nor  was  a  murmui 
allowed  to  reach  his  ear,  although  the  odious  excise  law  was, 
just  about  that  period,  brought  into  operation. 

A  ne^\  congress  met  at  Philadelphia  in  the  latter  end  of 
October  ;  and,  in  his  opening  speech,  the  president  principally 
alluded  to  the  great  success  of  the  bank  scheme,  the  shares  for 
which  had  all  been  subscribed  for  in  less  than  two  hours  aftef 
the  books  were  opened ;  to  the  operations  of  the  excise  law 
and  the  obstinate  resistance  of  the  Indians. 

Washington's  first  term  of  office  being  about  to  expire,  he 
was,  in  the  autumn  of  1792,  elected  a  second  time  to  the 
office  of  president,  for  another  term  of  four  years,  commencing 
March  4th,  1793.  Mr.  Adams  was  again  elected  vice-president. 

Washington  accepted  the  presidency  at  a  moment  when 
the  country  was  about  to  stand  most  in  need  of  his  impartial 
honesty  and  firmness.  The  French  revolution  had  just 
reached  its  highest  point  of  fanaticism  and  disorder;  and  the 
general  war  which  it  occasioned  in  Europe  put  it  out  of  the 
power  of  the  president  and  the  people  of  the  United  States  to 
remain  indifferent  spectators  of  what  was  passing. 

The  French  republic  was  about  to  appoint  a  new  envoy  to 
the  United  States ;  and  questions  arose  as  to  whether  he 
should  be  received,  and  whether  the  treaty  concluded  with 
the  monarch  of  France,  stipulating  a  defensive  alliance  in 
ease  of  an  attack,  upon  the  part  of  England,  was  now  bind- 
ing on  America. 

These,  and  other  questions  arising  out  of  them,  being  sub- 
mitted by  the  president  to  his  cabinet,  after  much  discussion 
in  which  Hamilton  and  Knox  were  for  breaking  with  the  new 
government  of  France,  and  Jefferson  and  Randolph  were  fof 
recognising  it ;  they  agreed  that,  for  the  sake  of  preserving 
neutrality,  a  proclamation  should  be  issued,  forbidding  the 
citizens  of  the  United  States  from  fitting  out  privateers  against 
either  power.  The  president  resolved  to  receive  the  envoy, 
and  it  was  agreed  that  no  mention  should  be  made  of  the 
treaty,  or  of  its  having  been  taken  into  consideration. 

The  new  envoy,  M.  Genet,  an  ignorant  and  arrogant  indi 
vidual,  instead  of  sailing  to  Philadelphia,  the  seat  of  govern- 


How  was  ne  received  on  his  tour 
through  the  southern  states  ? 

When  did  a  new  congress  meet  ? 

To  what  did  Washington  aUude  in  his 
opening  speech  ? 

^en  were  he  ind  Mr.  Adams  re- 
elected f 


What  was  now  passing  in  Europe  ? 
What  questions  arose  respecting  tlw 

relations  of  the  United  States  whk 

France  ? 
How  was  the  cabinet  divided  ? 
What  was  finally  agreed  on  f 


322 


PROCEEDINGS  Oi    CITIZEN  GENET. 


ment,  and  communicating  immediately  with  the  president  or 
ministers,  landed  at  Charleston  in  South  Carolina,  and  there 
remained  six  weeks  superintending  and  authorising  the  fitting 
out  of  cruisers  to  intercept  British  vessels.  The  enthusiasm 
with  which  he  was  welcomed  by  the  people,  both  at  Charles 
ton  and  during  his  land  journey  to  Philadelphia,  induced  citi- 
zen Genet  to  believe  that  the  envoy  of  France  must  be  as 
powerful  as  its  name  was  revered.  He  deemed  that,  relying 
on  the  popular  support,  he  might  set  himself  above  the  cau 
tious  scruples  of  the  existing  government. 

Accordingly,  when  expostulated  with  upon  his  licensing 
privateers,  and  upon  the  captures  made  by  his  countrymen  in 
the  very  rivers  of  the  United  States,  Genet  replied,  that  the 
treaty  between  France  and  this  country  sanctioned  such  mea- 
sures, and  that  any  obstructions  put  upon  them  would  not  only 
be  infractions  of  the  treaty,  but  treason  against  the  rights  of 
man. 

The  government,  however,  arrested  two  individuals  who 
f.iad  entered  on  the  privateering  service,  and  when  Genet  de- 
manded their  release,  he  was  countenanced  and  supported  by 
a  set  of  adherents  who  gave  him  fetes,  and  formed  societies 
m  favour  of  his  opposition  to  the  constituted  authorities  of 
the  country.  This  emboldened  him  still  further  to  insult  the 
government,  by  sending  out  a  privateer  from  Philadelphia 
during  Washington's  absence  from  that  city,  after  having 
promised  to  detain  her  till  his  return. 

Whilst  the  government  was  consulting  its  law  officers,  to 
decide  how  best  they  might  deal  with  the  refractory  and  in- 
solent French  envoy,  the  latter  made  it  a  ground  of  complaint 
that  the  British  were  in  the  habit  of  taking  French  property 
out  of  American  vessels,  contrary  to  the  principles  of  neu- 
trality avowed  by  the  rest  of  Europe.  Jefferson  himself, 
although  favourable  to  French  interests,  was  obliged  to  tell 
Genet,  on  this  occasion,  that  the  British  were  right.  But 
the  latter  would  yield  to  neither  authority  nor  reason ;  he 
replied  in  the  most  insulting  tone,  and  would  appeal,  he  said, 
from  the  president  to  the  people. 

This  expression  sealed  his  fate.  The  people  at  once 
abandoned  the  spoiled  favourite,  when  he  talked  of  insultinji 
their  beloved  chief  in  this  manner.    The  well  earned  popn- 


How  did  the  French  envoy  proceed  ? 
When  remonstrated  with,  what  was 

his  ajiwer  ? 
What  wa8  done  by  the  govcrnmout  f 
Bt  G«i}«t>j  friends  ? 


By  Genet  himself  ? 
Of  what  did  he  complain  } 
What  was  asserted  by  Jetferson  f 
What  was  Genet's  threat  ? 
Wba*^  iva*  the  conse<iAienca  / 


%  mSURRF.CTlON  PENNSYLVANIA. 


anty  of  Washington  could  not  be  shaken  by  the  blus- 
tering ol'  this  insolent  foreigner.  He  was  deserted  by  his 
warmest  admirers,  and  when  the  government  determined  on 
preserving  its  neutrality,  had  demanded  and  obtained  his 
recall,  the  envoy,  not  daring  to  return  to  a  country  where  it 
might  be  considered  one  of  the  rights  of  man  to  take  off  his 
head,  quietly  retired  into  obscurity  and  oblivion,  and  lived 
for  many  years  under  the  protection  of  the  very  government 
which  he  had  dared  to  insult. 

Altliough  the  conduct  of  this  individual  disgusted  the  federal 
party,  and  perhaps  added  to  its  numbers  by  detaching  many 
from  the  opposite  ranks  ;  the  republicans  still  continued  to 
cherish  a  grateful  recollection  of  the  services  rendered  to  this 
co'antry  by  France,  during  the  revolutionary  war,  and  a  strong 
sympathy  for  those  who  were  struggling  for  liberty  against 
a  powerful  league  of  European  monarchs  who  seemed  bent 
on  the  utter  destruction  of  the  French  republic.  The  war- 
fare between  the  parties  in  the  United  States,  respectively 
favouring  England  and  France,  was  carried  on  with  consi* 
derable  spirit  on  both  sides  ;  and  it  required  all  the  firmness 
and  integrity  of  Washington  to  restrain  them  from  breaking 
out  into  dangerous  excesses. 

General  Wayne,  who  had  been  appointed  to  carry  on  the 
Indian  war,  after  the  defeat  of  St.  Clair,  marched  against  them 
at  the  head  of  3,000  men,  and  in  an  action  fought  on  the  banks 
of  the  Miami,  August  20th,  1794,  totally  routed  them  and 
destroyed  their  forts  and  villages.  This  action  was  followed 
by  a  treaty  which  gave  security  to  the  north-western  frontier, 
and  soon  occasioned  a  rapid  increase  in  the  population  of 
that  favoured  region. 

The  excise  law  was  highly  unpopular  in  many  parts  of  the 
country.  The  inquisitorial  character  of  such  regulations 
must  always  render  them  obnoxious  to  popular  hatred.  In 
Pennsylvania,  particularly,  the  dislike  rose  to  forcible  resist- 
unce,  which  soon  assumed  an  organised  form,  and  set  all 
law  and  legal  order  at  defiance.  A  proclamation  was  at  first 
issued,  but  proved  of  no  avail.  The  federal  members  of  the 
cabinet  urged  the  necessity  of  assembling  the  militia  of  the 
neighbouring  states,  and  marching  them  to  intimidate  or 
crush  the  insurrectionary  force  of  Pennsylvania.  This  was 
a  bold  step,  and  much  decried  and  disputed  at  the  time.  But 


Which  party  were  partial  to  the 
f/tJ  ich,  and  which  to  the  English  ? 
Wh9.t  wa5  Gone  hy  General  Wayne  ? 


What  was  the  consequence  of  his 

victory  ? 
In  what  state  was  the  exciM 

forcibly  opposed  ? 


JAY  S  TREATY. 


it  completely  succeeded.  A  militia  force,  under  the  com- 
mana  of  Governor  Lee,  and  accompanied  by  Secretary  Ha- 
milton, marched  across  the  AUeghany  mountains,  and  such 
was  their  imposing  number,  thai  the  insurgents  shrunk  frcm 
a  contest  with  their  armed  brethren,  and  dispersed  without 
oifering  any  resistance.  The  result  was  most  important,  and, 
as  producing  it,  the  insurrection  itself  proved  beneficial,  since 
it  showed  to  the  lover  of  anarchy  that  there  did  exist  a  force 
in  the  country  sufficient  to  put  down  any  unconstitutiona. 
attempt. 

Mr.  Jefferson  had  already  retired  from  the  office  of  secre- 
tary of  state,  and  been  succeeded  by  Mr.  Randolph.  Hamil- 
ton and  Knox  now  retired  from  the  departments  of  the 
treasury  and  war,  giving  place  to  Mr.  Wolcott  and  Colonel 
Pickering. 

Mr.  Jay,  who  had  been  sent  envoy  to  England,  had  con- 
cluded a  treaty  with  Lord  Grenville,  the  minister  of  that 
country,  which  was  now  received.  By  this  treaty,  England 
stipulated  to  evacuate  the  posts  hitherto  occupied  by  her 
within  the  boundary  line  of  the  United  States  ;  the  Ameri- 
cans, on  the  other  hand  allowing  British  subjects  every  faci 
lity  for  the  recovery  of  past  debts.  Indemnification  was 
promised  on  both  sides  for  illegal  captures.  Freedom  of 
trade  was  agreed  on  to  a  certain  extent.  Americans  were 
allowed  to  trade  with  the  West  Indies  in  vessels  under  twenty 
tons,  provided  they  carried  their  produce  to  their  own  ports 
only,  and  exported  no  such  produce  to  Europe.  This  last 
Btipulation  was  hard,  as  it  prohibited  the  American  from  send- 
ing to  Europe  the  cotton  or  sugar  of  his  own  production. 
This  had  escaped  Mr.  Jay,  and  the  president  refused  to  ratify 
the  treaty  till  this  mistake  was  rectified.  The  other  grievance 
of  the  treaty  was,  the  right  of  England,  still  allowed,  to  lake 
out  of  American  ships  contraband  articles,  and  to  be  in  some 
measure  the  judge  of  what  was  contraband.  This,  which, 
when  Mr.  Jefferson  was  secretary  of  state,  had  been  loudly 
complained  of,  formed  a  just  ground  of  cavil  against  the 
treaty.  However,  these  objections  were  counterbalanced  by 
80  many  advantages,  that  the  president,  after  some  further 
delay,  ratified  the  treaty,  and  a  majority  of  the  senate  con- 
rurred  in  his  decision. 


Ho^w  was  the  insurrection  quelled  ? 

Wtat  was  demonstrated  by  this  pro- 
ceeding of  the  government  ? 

Wliat  changes  took  place  in  the 
eabicet? 


Who  had  made  a  treaty  with  Gitsat 

Britain 

What  were  its  prmcipal  articJ««  ' 
What  parts  were  objected  tof 
Was  it  ratified  ' 


PACIFIC  POLICY    ?F  WASHINGTON. 


325 


Nevei  had  there  been  a  more  violent  expression  of  opiniou 
in  Amenca,  than  that  which  now  assailed  Washington  ana 
nis  treaty :  for  his  it  was  considered.  Nothing  was  to  be 
neard  but  discussions  concerning  it;  and  public  meetings 
were  called  in  almost  every  town,  at  which  addresses  and 
resolutions  were  drawn  up  against  it. 

The  republican  party  exclaimed  against  it  as  the  basest  in 
gratitude  against  France,  and  treason  towards  a  republic 
whose  watchword  and  safeguard  ought  to  be  hatred  to  mo^ 
liarchy  and  to  England.  The  grave  dignity  of  Washington 
contemning  his  opposers,  rebuked  with  effect  such  violent 
addresses  as  were  offered  to  him  ;  and  his  firmness  caused 
public  opinion  to  rally,  if  not  to  turn  in  his  favour.  Hamil- 
ton left  his  retirement  to  defend  the  measure  ;  and  although 
the  people  refused  to  listen  to  him  in  public,  he  advocated  it 
^ith  the  pen  in  writings  that  staggered  opposition,  and  ac- 
tually stemmed  the  popular  torrent.  These  exertions  of  the 
federalists  enabled  the  president  to  stand  his  ground  and  sup- 
port the  treaty,  which  was  ultimately  of  great  benefit  to  the 
commerce  as  well  as  the  productive  industry  of  the  country. 

Ere  the  president  again  met  congress,  his  envoys  had 
almost  concluded  treaties  with  Spain,  with  Algiers,  and  witK 
the  Indians  beyond  the  Ohio.  Spain  yielded  the  right  to 
navigate  the  Mississippi,  with  a  depot  at  New  Orleans.  So 
that  these  united  with  the  British  treaty,  formed  a  complete 
pacific  system,  which  Washington  aimed  at  establishing,  ere 
he  retired  from  the  executive,  as  the  last  bequest  to  his 
country. 

Party  spirit  was,  however,  still  active  and  strong.  The 
arrival  of  a  new  French  envoy  gave  rise,  by  the  extravagant 
addresses  which  he  made,  to  a  fresh  access  of  enthusiasm  in 
favour  of  that  country.  The  president  kept  unswervingly  to 
his  neutral  policy,  although  he  was  now  unsupported  by  any 
eminent  man  as  minisi<Br.  He  proclaimed  the  treaty  with 
Great  Britain.  Although  this  right  was  secured  to  him,  con- 
jointly with  tlie  senate,  by  the  constitution,  the  house  of  re- 
presentatives still  complained  that  they  had  not  been  con- 
sulted ;  and  they  passed  a  vote  demanding  of  the  president 
the  communication  of  the  papers  and  correspondence  relative 


What  was  now  done  by  the  people  ? 
Who  sustainei  Washington  in  his 
course  ? 

What  was  the  ultimate  effect  or  the 
treaty  ? 


28 


With  what  other  countries  did  Wash- 
ington effect  treaties  f 

What  was  done  on  the  arrm  ]  «I  » 
new  French  envoy  ? 

What  is  said  of  the  president  ? 

Of  the  house  of  representative!  } 


m 


C0MI*LA1N'TS  OF  THE   FRENCH  DIRECT  wRY, 


to  the  treaty.  This  he  firmly  refused,  on  coiistituliorai 
g-rounds,  and  as  a  pernicious  precedent,  stating  nis  reasons 
considerable  length.  But  the  lower  house  did  not  want  pre- 
texts for  discussing  the  treaty,  and  advocating  their  right  to 
interfere  with  it.  Strong  debates  ensued.  But  the  great 
body  of  the  people  had  too  much  respect  for  the  founder  of 
their  liberties  to  support  a  factious  and  personal  opposition 
to  him. 

France  remained  the  only  country  dissatisfied  with  the 
conduct  of  the  United  States.  She  thought  herself  entitled 
to  more  than  common  amity ;  in  fact  to  the  gratitude  and 
cordial  support  of  a  sister  republic.  The  treaty,  therefore, 
between  America  and  Great  Britain,  had  excited  the  resent- 
ment of  the  directory  ;  and,  indeed,  those  articles  of  it,  which 
allowed  the  latter  country  the  right  of  taking  French  goods 
from  neutral  ships,  were  calculated  to  excite  complaint. 

The  directory,  however,  was  not  content  with  addressing 
the  language  of  legitimate  remonstrance  to  the  cabinet  of 
Washington.  They  directed  their  envoy  to  address  congress ; 
10  appeal  from  the  president  to  the  people  as  Genet  had  done ; 
and  so  attempt  to  force  the  government  of  this  country  into  a 
closer  alliance  with  France. 

Washington,  however,  was  not  able  to  bring  this  negotia- 
tion, as  he  had  done  others,  to  a  term.  The  period  of  his 
second  tenure  of  the  presidential  oflice  was  about  to  expire, 
and  no  consideration  could  tempt  him  to  permit  his  re-election. 
Besides  his  age  and  fatigues  there  were  many  reasons  for  this 
decision,  the  principal  of  which  was  that  one  person  had  ruled 
a  sufliicient  time  for  a  free  republic. 

His  intention  of  retiring  from  the  presidency,  Washington 
announced  to  the  people  of  the  United  States  in  a  valedictory 
address,  which,  for  eloquence  and  force,  and  for  sound  prin- 
ciples of  government,  must  be  considered  one  of  the  classic 
records  of  political  wisdom.  Despite  their  late  opposition,  the 
legislature  wtie  unanimous  in  the  tribute  o^  gratitude  and 
veneration,  which  answered  the  president's  announcement 
that  he  addressed  them  for  the  last  time.  The  people  read 
the  Farewell  Address  with  feelings  of  profound  respect  and 
ttachment ;  and  several  of  the  state  legislatures  inserted  it  at 
large  in  their  journals,  and  passed  resolutions  expressing  their 


Of  the  president's  refusal  ami  reply  ?  I  What  did  they  direct  their  envoy  U 
What  ensued  ?  I     do  ? 

How  did  the  people  stand  affected  ?   I  What  were  Washington's  reasons  foi 

What  is  said  uf  France  ?  retiring  from  office  ? 

()f  the  directory  ^  ,  What  is  said  of  his  Farewell  AddreM 


Washington's  retirement. 


32'? 


exalted  sense  of  the  services  and  character  of  its  author,  and 
their  emotions  at  his  retirement  from  office. 

The  candidates  for  the  highest  office  in  the  nation,  about  to 
become  vacant,  were  Thomas  Jefferson  and  Johr  A.dams. 
The  former  was  supported  by  the  republican  party  and  the 
latter  by  the  federalists.  After  a  very  active  canvass,  the 
federal  party  prevailed,  Adams  receiving  the  highest  number 
of  votes  was  elected  president,  and  Jefferson  having  the 
•econd  number  was  declared  vice-president. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1797,  Washington,  having  witnessed 
Ihe  ceremony  of  his  successor's  inauguration,  and  tendered 
hira  *  those  respectful  compliments  which  he  believed  to  be 
equally  due  to  the  man  and  to  the  office,  hastened  to  that  real 
felicity  which  awaited  him  at  Mount  Vernon,  the  enjoyment 
of  which  he  had  long  impatiently  anticipated.'* 

'  Amidst  all  the  victories  and  high  achievements  of  young 
America,'  says  an  impartial  writer  whom  we  have  had  fre- 
quent occasion  to  quote,  *  there  is  none  of  which  she  has  so 
much  reason  to  be  proud  as  the  having  given  birth  to  Wash- 
ington. So  perfect,  so  pure,  so  simple,  yet  so  lofty  a  charac 
ter,  the  modern  world  had  not  yet  produced.  TnHeed,  a  Euro- 
pean monarchy  could  not  have  produced  a  Washinijton.  Our 
social  organisation,  framed  on  feudal  principles,  is  too  much 
impregnated  with  vanity,  personal  ambition,  and  the  love  of 
precedence,  not  to  have  corrupted  the  colonial  officer  long  ere 
he  became  the  hero  of  independence.  Not  but  that  monarchies 
have  their  worthies,  Sidneys  and  Bayards,  a  numerous  host ; 
but  a  Washington  they  could  not  have,  because  the  first  rank 
of  military  talent  must,  amongst  these^  infallibly  inspire  some 
passion  of  baser  alloy.  Let  Cromwell,  and  NapoWn,  and 
Marlborough,  and  Charles  XII,  be  passed  with  their  compeers 
in  view,  and  it  will  be  seen  how  even  patriotism  dwindled  as 
a  motive,  till  utterly  lost  amidst  baser  sentiments. 

'  Washington  stands  alone.  As  a  commander,  his  charac- 
ter has  risen,  since  men  have  come  to  examine  it.  With  an 
army  so  doubting  in  spirit,  and  uncertain  in  numbers,  as  to 
have  filled  any  captain  with  despair,  he  still  achieved  what, 
indeed,  probability  rendered  hopeless.  Cool  and  imperturba- 
ble to  bide  his  time,  and,  Fabius-like,  observe  the  enemy,  he 


Who  were  candidates  for  the  presi- 
dency ? 
Who  was  chosen  president  ^ 
Nho  was  chosen  vice-president  ? 


When  were  they  inau^rated  ? 
Whither  did  Washington  retire  f 
What  is  said  of  the  character  of  Wash- 
ington as  a  commander  ' 


MarsbaU. 


328 


OIIARACTER  OF  WASHINGTON. 


never  wanted  the  impetuosity  of  Marcellus,  when  opportunhy 
rendered  sucL  advantageous. 

'As  a  statesman,  his  administration  forms  a  monument  as 
glorious  as  his  campaigns.  He  found  a  constitution  born  so 
feebly,  that  its  very  parents  were  hopeless  of  its  existence ; 
yet  he  contrived  in  raising  it  to  give  it  force,  and  communicaie 
to  it  the  principle  of  maturity.  Amidst  the  storm  of  adverse 
parties  that  gradually  arose  around  him,  Washington  preserved 
an  impartial  sense  of  what  his  country  demanded  :  and  though 
latterly  he  leaned  to  the  side  of  federalism,  and  strong  institu- 
tions, yet  it  was  never  so  much  as  to  upset  the  balance;  and 
perhaps  the  greatest  proof  of  his  sagacity,  and  of  the  difficulty 
of  this  task,  is,  that  his  successor,  John  Adams,  failed  in  the 
same  attempt,  and  by  allowing  himself  to  be  borne  away  by 
one  party,  gave  to  the  other  the  opportunity  of  successful  re- 
action. 

*  "  His  mind  was  great  and  powerful,"  says  Jefferson,  "  with- 
out being  of  the  first  order ;  his  penetration  strong,  though  not 
so  acute  as  that  of  Newton,  Bacon,  or  Locke ;  and,  as  far  as 
he  saw,  no  judgment  was  ever  sounder.  It  was  slow  in  ope- 
ration, being  little  aided  by  invention  or  imagination,  but  sure 
in  conclusion."  He  was  incapable  of  fear,  being  full  of  calm 
courage  in  the  field ;  and  though  naturally  of  an  irritable 
and  high-toned  temper,"  he  had  nevertheless  so  subdued  this 
by  reflection  and  resolution,  that  it  never  interfered  with  the 
xoolness  of  his  judgment,  or  with  that  prudence,  which  Jef- 
jerson  said,  was  the  strongest  feature  in  his  character.  When 
greatly  moved,  his  wrath  was,  however,  tremendous.  His 
heart  was  not  warm  in  its  affections,  but  he  exactly  calculated 
every  man's  value,  and  gave  him  a  solid  esteem  proportioned 
to  it.  His  person  was  fine;  his  stature  exactly  what  one 
would  wish;  his  deportment  easy,  erect,  and  noble.  His 
was  the  most  graceful  figure  that  could  be  seen  on  horseback. 
Although  in  the  circle  of  his  friends,  where  he  might  be  un- 
reserved with  safety,  he  took  a  free  share  in  conversation,  his 
colloquial  talents  were  not  above  mediocrity,  possessing 
neither  copiousness  of  ideas,  nor  fluency  of  words.  In 
public,  when  called  on  for  a  sudden  opinion,  he  was  un- 
ready, short,  and  embarrassed  ;  yet  he  wrote  readily,  rather 
fiiffuseiy,  in  an  easy,  correct  style.  This  he  had  acquired  by 
conversation  with  the  world;  for  his  education  had  been 
merely  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic.  His  time  was 
employed  in  action  chiefly,  reading  little,  and  that  only  in 


Aj  a  itatesman  i 


I  As  a  man  ? 


CONDCCT   OF  FRANCE. 


agriculture  and  English  history.  His  correspondence  became 
necessarily  exten:sive,  and,  with  journalising  his  agricultural 
proceedings,  it  occupied  most  of  his  leisure  hours  within 
doors.  On  the  wliole,  his  character  was  in  its  mass  perfeci^ 
in  nothing  bad,  in  few  points  indifferent ;  and  it  may  truly  be 
«aid,  that  never  did  nature  and  for  une  combine  more  per^ 
fectly  to  make  a  man  great,  and  to  place  him  in  the  same 
constellation  with  whatever  worthies  have  merited  from  mau 
an  everlasting  remembrance."  * 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

ADMINISTRATION  OF  JOHN  ADAMS. 

The  new  president  had  been  elected  by  the  votes  of  the 
federal  party.  Like  the  other  leading  federalists  he  had  been 
charged  with  a  leaning  towards  monarchy  ;  and  his  writings 
gave  some  colour  to  the  supposition.  But  the  same  charge 
is  always  made  against  those  who  are  in  favour  of  what  is 
called  a  strong  government.  His  character  for  talent  stood 
high.  All  who  wished  to  uphold  the  policy  of  Washington 
had  voted  in  his  favour.  He  was  not  supposed  to  be  so  biassed 
against  France  as  many  others  of  his  party ;  and  Jefferson 
himself  had  pronounced  him  to  be  *  the  only  sure  barrier 
against  Hamilton's  getting  in.'  The  northern  states  were  all 
for  him,  and  as  the  southern  men  were  by  no  means  united 
in  the  support  of  Jefferson,  Adams  had  prevailed  without 
difficulty. 

The  conduct  of  France  was  the  first  important  subject  of 
attention  to  the  new  government.  The  executive  directory 
of  that  country,  elated  by  their  new  and  wondrous  career  of 
conquest,  were  disposed  to  assume  towards  foreign  powers  a 
tone  of  imperial  arrogance.  Mr.  Pinckney,  the  American 
envoy,  considered  of  the  federal,  rather  than  of  the  republican 
party,  was  informed  that  '  he  could  not  be  received  till  exist- 
ing grievances  had  been  redressed ;'  and  was,  moreover, 
almost  bidden  to  quit  the  country.  In  addition  to  these  insults  to 
Mr.  Pinckney,  Mr.  Monroe,  the  former  envoy,  was  addressed 
Et  his  audience  of  leave,  in  terms  so  vituperative  as  to  amoun« 


VHiat  wms  Mr.  Adams's  character  ?     |  How  were  the  American  envQjn  In 

I     France  .reated  t 
•>8* 


RELATIONS  WITH  FRANCE. 


almost  to  a  declaration  of  war.  The  tone  assumed,  v/as  hal 
of  an  appeal  from  the  government  to  the  people  of  the  United 
States;  and  the  minister  of  France  in  America  had  adopted 
the  same  tone  and  conduct  in  endeavouring  to  influence  th« 
late  elections. 

Whatever  were  the  previous  opinions  of  the  new  president, 
he  now  displayed  himself  as  sensitive  to  these  insults  on  the 
part  of  France  as  any  of  the  federalists.  His  speech  to  con- 
gress was  couched  in  warmer  and  more  spirited  terms  than 
even  Washington  would  have  used.  The  drawing  up  an 
answer  to  this,  occasioned  a  full  fortnight's  debate  in  the 
house  of  representatives  ;  but  at  length  a  reply  correspondent 
to  the  president's  tone  and  views  was  carried  by  51  or  52 
voices  against  48. 

This  showed  the  balance  of  parties ;  proved  that  Adams 
still  kept  the  ascendency,  by  a  small  majority,  that  Washing- 
ton had  done  ;  and  that  the  dread  of  French  influence  pre- 
/ailed  over  the  suspicion  endeavoured  to  be  raised  of  mo- 
narchism  and  an  arbitrary  executive.  France,  however,  was 
a  formidable  enemy.  Tidings  of  her  victories  poured  in, 
whilst  those  from  England  told  of  bank  payments  suspended, 
a  mutiny  in  the  fleet,  and  the  abandonment  of  her  best  conti- 
nental ally. 

Three  envoys,  Messrs.  Pinckney,  Marshall,  and  Gerry 
were  appointed  to  proceed  to  France,  and  attempt  once  more 
to  avert  a  war,  if  it  could  be  done  consistently  with  the  na- 
tional interest  and  honour.  All  important  business  wis  at  a 
stand  in  America  during  the  latter  end  of  1797,  and  beginning 
of  1798,  owing  to  uncertainty  as  to  the  result  of  this  mission. 

On  its  arrival,  the  envoys  were  informed  by  M.  Talleyrand, 
the  minister  for  foreign  affairs,  that  they  could  not  be  received 
by  the  directory.  They  had  permission  to  remain  in  Paris, 
however,  and  the  agents  of  Talleyrand  were  employed  to 
negotiate  with  them.  The  true  difliculty  in  the  way  of  accom- 
modation, in  addition  to  the  impertinent  arrogance  of  the  di- 
rectory, seemed  to  be  that  the  leaders  of  that  immaculate  body 
received  a  great  part  of  the  gains  accruing  from  American 
Drizes  made  by  the  French.  A  treaty  would  have  cut  off 
this  resource.    In  order  to  make  up  for  the  anticipated  defi 


How  were  these  insults  regarded  by 

the  president  ? 
V^'hat  is  said  of  his  speech  to  congress  ? 
W  the  debate  and  answer  ? 
Whsii  did  the  division  of  the  house 

8how  ^ 


What  news  came  from  France  ? 

From  England  ? 

What  envoys  were  sent  tc  FriBM  i 
How  were  they  treated  ^ 


PBEPARATIONS   FOR  WAR  WITH  FRANCE.  331 

ciency,  Talleyrand  demanded  a  douceur  of  $250,000  for 
himself  and  the  other  leaders  of  the  directory,  besides  a  loan 
to  be  afterwards  made  from  America  to  France. 

To  exact  these  conditions,  every  argument  that  meanness 
could  suggest  was  employed  by  Talleyrand:  he  demanded  to 
be  feed  as  a  lawyer,  or  bribed  as  a  friend.  But  the  American 
envoys  were  inexorable  ;  and  two  of  their  number  returned 
to  announce  to  their  countrymen  the  terms  on  which  peace 
was  offered.  The  cupidity  of  the  French  government  com 
pletely  turned  against  it  the  tide  of  popular  feeling  in  America. 
*  Millions  for  defence,  not  a  cent  for  tribute,'  was  instantly 
the  general  cry ;  and  the  president  felt  his  hands  strengthened 
by  the  demands  of  the  French.  Certainly  never  minister 
showed  himself  less  sagacious  than  did  M.  Talleyrand  in  this 
affair,  or  more  ignorant  of  the  spirit  and  manners  of  a  nation 
amongst  whom  he  had  resided. 

Congress  voted  an  army  of  twelve  new  regiments,  with 
engineers  and  artillery  corps.  Washington  was  appointed 
its  commander  in  chief,  an  office  which  he  accepted  with  un- 
feigned reluctance,  although  he  approved  of  the  course  of  the 
government.  A  naval  armament,  too,  was  decided  upon,  and 
a  new  department — that  of  the  navy — erected  into  a  ministe- 
rial office,  giving  a  seat  in  the  cabinet.  A  land  tax  passed 
congress.  An  alien  law  was  passed  for  getting  rid  of  Volney, 
Collot,  and  other  French  emissaries  ;  and  a  sedition  bill  fol- 
lowed it,  which  was  loudly  complained  of  by  the  republicans. 
Communication  with  France  was  prohibited ;  orders  issued 
for  capturing  any  of  her  vessels  that  might  appear  off  the 
coasts,  and  all  treaties  with  that  country  were  declared  to  be 
void.  These  successive  steps  were  not  taken  without  the 
opposition  of  a  strong  minority  in  congress,  of  whom  the 
vice-president,  Mr.  Jefferson,  may  be  considered  the  leader. 

A  great  part,  however,  of  this  animosity  against  France, 
proceeded  from  an  apprehension  that  she  meant  to  invade 
America,  and  to  interfere  under  the  pretext  of  giving  her  some 
larger  share  of  liberty,  such  ys  she  had  forcibly  imposed  upon 
Switzerland.  When,  however,  it  waf»  seen  that  France  had 
no  such  ideas  of  offensive  war,  and  when  Talleyrand  ex- 


What  terms  were  privately  offered 

by  Talleyrand  ? 
How  were  they  received  by  the  en- 

Toys  ? 

By  the  American  nation  ? 
What  was  done  by  congress  ? 
Who  wa^  appointed  commander  in 
Mitt  the  armjr  ? 


What  new  department  was  created  f 
What  tax  P 

What  is  said  of  the  alien  and  sedition 

laws  ? 
Of  the  orders  issued  ? 
Of  the  opposition  and  of  Jefferson  ? 
What  mistake  led  to  these  prepajrt 

tio&s  ^ 


J32 


DEATH  OF  WASHINGTON. 


plained  away  his  former  arrogance  by  more  recent  deelar* 
lions  to  Mr.  Gerry,  the  envoy  who  had  latest  left  France, 
and  still  later  by  overtures  made  through  Piehon,  the  French 
charge  de  affaires  at  the  Hague,  to  Mr.  Murray,  there  was 
somewhat  of  a  reaction. 

This  became  evident  in  1799,  when  the  weight  of  the  ad 
ditional  taxes  and  restrictions  had  begun  to  be  felt.  Several 
states  petitioned  for  the  repeal  of  the  alien  and  sedition  laws ; 
whilst  in  others  there  was  a  general  resistance  to  the  officers 
employed  in  taking  the  valuation  preparatory  to  the  land  lax. 
This  last  spirit  showed  itself  chiefly  in  the  western  part  of 
Pennsylvania.  The  president  had,  however,  anticipated  this 
reaction  in  favour  of  peace,  by  appointing  Mr.  Murray  pleni- 
potentiary to  the  French  republic,  with  a  proviso,  however, 
that  he  was  not  to  enter  their  territories  before  he  was  assured 
of  an  honourable  reception. 

The  directory  had  fallen  ere  that  took  place ;  and  Bonaparte, 
who  as  first  consul  succeeded  to  their  power,  had  no  merce- 
nary interest  in  prolonging  the  state  of  hostility.  This  was, 
accordingly,  discontinued,  and  a  final  treaty  of  peace  was 
signed  betwixt  France  and  America  in  the  course  of  the  year 
1800. 

The  war,  while  it  lasted,  had  given  rise  to  some  encounters 
at  sea,  which  afi'orded  a  promise  of  the  future  glories  of  the 
American  navy.  One  of  these  was  a  very  severe  action  be- 
tween the  American  frigate  Constellation,  of  38  guns,  com- 
manded by  Commodore  Truxton,  and  the  French  frigate 
rinsurgente,  of  40  guns,  which  terminated  in  the  capture  of 
the  latter.  Truxton,  in  a  subsequent  engagement,  compelled 
another  French  frigate,  mounting  no  less  than  50  guns,  to 
strike  her  colours,  but  she  afterwards  made  her  escape  in  the 
night. 

Before  this  war  had  terminated,  Washington  was  removed 
from  the  scene  of  his  earthly  glories.  He  died  after  an  illness 
of  only  a  few  hours,  occasioned  by  cold  and  consequent  in 
flammation  of  the  throat,  at  Mount  Vernon,  on  the  14ih  ot 
December,  1799.  Neither  congress  nor  the  nation  were 
wanting  in  that  universal  tribute  of  mourning  and  veneration 
due  to  the  illustrious  founder  of  their  common  freedom 
Perhaps  the  most  sensible  mark  of  this  veneration  was  the 
removal  of  the  seat  of  government  to  the  federal  city,  ol 


What  produced  a  reaction  ? 
How  was  this  manifested  } 
What  was  done  by  the  president  ? 
Rf  the  Frei.ch  under  Bonaparte  ? 


What  naval  encounters  had  take 

place  ? 

When  did  Wishington  die  ? 


COLONEL  BURR. 


which  the  site  was  selected  by  Washington,  and  which  was 
dignified  with  his  name.  In  November,  1800,  congress 
opened  its  sittings  at  Washington  for  the  first  time. 

A  new  trial  of  strength  was  r  ow  about  to  take  place  between 
the  federal  and  republican  parties,  as  the  four  years'  term  of 
Mr.  Adams's  government  was  about  to  expire.  That  states- 
man, it  has  been  seen,  was  elected  by  the  predominance  of 
federal  principles,  in  the  north-eastern  states,  as  well  as  by  an 
opinion  that  his  own  political  feelings  were  moderate.  No 
ooner,  however,  was  he  possessed  of  the  sovereign  functions, 
than  he  entered  with  zeal  into  anti-Gallican  measures,  and 
Doth  congress  and  the  country  were  borne  full  sail  along  with 
him.  Adams  was  thus  carried  on  in  a  kind  of  triumph,  and 
at  a  speed  that  left  him  little  master  of  his  course,  or  of  pru- 
dent management.  Although  jealous  of  Hamilton,  and  anx- 
ious not  to  tread  in  his  footsteps,  the  president  had  flung 
himself  among  the  Hamiltonian  party  ;  and  they,  as  well  as 
his  own  heat,  led  him  into  a  series  of  acts,  which  displayed 
all  the  unpopular  tendencies  of  the  federalists. 

Fleets  and  armies,  judicial  offices,  taxes  and  places,  were 
increased ;  and  such  strong  acts  passed,  for  the  restraint  of 
sedition  and  foreign  agents,  as  were  evidently  dangerous  to 
civil  liberty.  This  became  more  clear,  as  the  martial  ardour 
and  indignation  of  the  country  cooled ;  and  the  strong  reaction, 
which  we  have  noticed,  took  place  against  Adams  and  the 
federalists.  In  vain  did  the  former  try  to  shake  off*  this  party, 
and  show  himself  distinct  from  them,  in  the  appointment  of 
fresh  envoys  to  France,  and  in  the  terms  of  the  treaty  con- 
cluded. It  was  too  late ;  the  tide  of  popular  feeling  ebbed 
from  the  federalists  towards  the  republicans,  and  Adams  was 
of  course  included  amongst  the  former. 

On  the  important  question  of  the  presidential  election,  h 
was  the  populous  state  of  New  York  that  held  the  balance. 
Hitherto  its  elections  had  been  federal,  but  now  from  the 
causes  already  enumerated,  this  state  began  to  incline  towards 
the  democratic  party.  There  was  a  personage  at  this  time  in 
New  York,  most  active  in  canvassing  for  republican  votes, 
and  turning  the  tide  against  the  federalists.  This  was  Colonel 
Burr,  a  man  whose  subsequent  career  furnished  an  enigma 
which  history  has  hitherto  failed  to  solve.  His  talents  were 
of  a  high  order;  his  service  in  the  revolution  commenced 
.vith  Arnold's  famous  march  to  Quebec,  and  ended  duriui 


Ni  en  did  congress  first  sit  in  the  city 

01  Washington  p 
What  was  now  about  to  take  place  P 
WhAt  had  bepn  Mr.  Adams*«  cmiise  ' 


How  did  he  lose  his  p  j^nUuify  f 
Who  was  put  or?  the  r  ipii4>lieais  tieka 

with  Jetrersop.  ' 
Wfiat  waf>  Biirr'^:  eh  gggtm  ' 


334 


ELECTION  OF  JEFFERSON. 


the  war;  and  he  had  lately  been  active  as  a  party  politician; 
so  that  it  is  not  surprising  he  should  have  been  put  in  nomi- 
nation throughout  all  the  states,  in  common  with  Jefferson, 
on  the  republican  interest. 

When  the  votes  were  counted,  Adams,  supported  by  the 
federalists,  was  found  completely  in  the  minority.  Jefferson 
and  Burr  were  the  names  foremost  upon  the  list;  and  by  a 
singular  fatality,  they  had  an  equal  number  of  votes.  As  the 
constitution  had  provided  that  the  candidate  having  the  great- 
est number  ofvotes  should  be  president,  and  the  one  having 
the  second  number,  should  be  vice-president,  it  now  became 
a  question  who  was  entitled  to  the  highest  office.  The  cir- 
cumstance of  equality  in  the  number  ofvotes  of  two  candi- 
dates, gave  the  power  of  election  to  the  house  of  representa- 
tives; and  hither,  accordingly,  all  the  efforts  of  party  and 
intrigue  were  directed.  Some  of  the  federalists  proposed 
appointing  a  temporary  executive,  and  proceeding  to  a  new 
election  by  the  people.  But  the  republicans,  knowing  that 
it  had  been  the  intention  of  the  people  to  elect  Jefferson 
president,  would  listen  to  no  terms  of  compromise.  Thirty- 
five  ballotings  took  place  in  the  house,  before  a  decision  was 
obtained  ;  and  then  Jefferson  prevailed  over  his  opponent, 
and  was  declared  president.  Burr  becoming  vice-president. 
The  question  was  decided  in  February,  1801. 

The  unqualified  disapprobation,  and  extensive  desertion  of 
the  people  from  the  administration  to  the  opposition  party, 
occasioned  by  some  of  the  anti-republican  measures  of  Mr. 
Adams's  administration,  evince  a  determination  which  has  ever 
been  inflexible  in  the  Americans,  to  adhere  to  the  essential 
principles  of  liberty,  even  though  it  should  require  the  sacri- 
fice of  men  distinguished  by  the  highest  talents,  politics' 
experience,  and  public  services.  *  Principles,  not  men'  is 
their  motto. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 
Jefferson's  administration. 

As  the  ever  large  body  of  the  politically  timid,  who  inrari- 
ably  desert  the  unsuccessful,  now  passed  over  to  the  side  of 


Wh at appearcQ  on  counting  tnevores  r  I  tiow  was  uie  eiecnon  imaUjr  om^ 
Give  an  account  of  wnat  foUowed  this  I     ed  ? 
disroverv  ,  I 


JEFFERSON  S  ADMINISTRATION. 


Tefferson,  their  accession,  together  with  the  popular  support 
of  his  own  party,  gave  him  a  stronger  power  than  had  been 
wielded  since  the  first  year  of  Washington.  He  now  nro 
ceeded  to  redeem  his  promises  of  retrenchment  and  reform. 
He  reduced  the  army,  the  navy,  the  supreme  judicial  coun, 
and  the  taxes,  more  especially  the  odious  excise. 

What  he  called  the  levees  of  the  president,  were  done  away 
with  ;  and  as  the  appearance  of  the  first  magistrate  in  person, 
to  address  congress,  savoured  too  much,  in  his  opinion,  of  the 
regal  custom  of  Great  Britain,  this  was  to  be  discontinued,  and 
uture  communications  from  the  executive  to  the  legislature 
were  to  be  made  in  writing.  He  removed  from  office  some 
of  the  most  violent  of  his  opponents,  professing  to  make  a 
distinction,  however,  between  the  monarchical  and  the  re- 
publican federalists. 

The  judges  were  irremoveable  by  law,  and  into  the  judi- 
ciary the  '  federals  retired  as  into  a  strong  hold.'  It  was  in 
the  treasury  department  that  Jefferson  chiefly,  and  with  most 
alacrity,  plied  the  pruning  knife  of  reform.  The  abolition  of 
internal  taxes  enabled  him  to  do  away  with  a  great  number  of 
offices  ;  and  by  taking  measures  for  gradually  paying  the  debt, 
he  led  the  way  towards  undermining  that  great  patronage  and 
influence  of  this  department,  which  the  democrats  of  thai 
period  pronounced  the  most  criminal  and  anti-republican  work 
of  the  federalists.  It  is  undoubtedly  true  that  the  influence 
of  the  treasury  is  dangerous  to  the  purity  and  integrity  of 
republican  institutions;  and  this  is  equally  true,  whether  the 
nation  be  deeply  in  debt,  or  free  from  debt,  with  an  over 
flowing  treasury.  Jefferson  was  right,  therefore,  not  only  in 
aiming  at  the  payment  of  the  public  debt,  but  in  reducing  the 
receipts  of  the  treasury  to  the  absolute  wants  of  the  govern- 
ment. 

He  has  thus  described  his  first  year's  work,  in  a  letter  to 
Kosciusko. 

'  The  session  of  the  first  congress,  convened  since  republi- 
canism has  recovered  its  ascendancy,  is  now  drawing  to  a 
dose.  They  will  pretty  completely  fulfil  all  the  desires  of 
the  people.  They  have  reduced  the  army  and  navy  to  what 
is  barely  necessary.  They  are  disarming  executive  patronage 
and  preponderance,  by  putting  down  one  half  the  offices  of 
the  United  States,  which  are  no  longer  necessary.  The«6 


What  were  the  first  measures  of  Jef- 
ferson's administration  ? 
What  is  said  of  the  levies  ? 
Of  the  removals  from  offic<p  ^ 


Of  the  judges  ? 

Of  the  taxes  ?   Of  the  treasury  ? 
How  does  Jefferson  descrih**  hh  first 
year'8  work  f 


336 


AFFAIR  OF  LOUISIANA. 


economies  have  enabled  them  to  suppress  all  the  iiiternt 
taxes,  and  still  to  make  such  provision  for  the  payment  of 
tlieir  public  debt,  as  to  discharge  that  in  eighteen  years, 
riiey  have  lopped  off  a  parasite  limb,  planted  by  their  pre- 
decessors, on  their  judiciary  body,  for  party  purposes;  they 
are  opening  the  doors  of  hospitality  to  the  fugitives  from  the 
oppressions  of  other  countries  ;  and  we  have  suppressed  all 
their  public  forms  and  ceremonies,  which  tended  to  familiarise 
the  public  eye  to  the  harbinger  of  another  form  of  government/ 

The  Americans  w^ere  congratulating  themselves  that  the 
estoration  of  peace  in  Europe,  by  the  late  treaty  between 
England  and  France,  would,  by  opening  the  ports  of  these 
nations  to  America,  and  ridding  the  sea  of  obstruction,  bring 
about  a  season  of  commercial  prosperty,  such  as  they  had  not 
yet  been  able  to  enjoy.    The  reconciliation  of  enemies,  how 
ever,  in  general,  turns  to  the  disadvantage,  rather  than  the 
advantage,  of  neutrals.    So  the  Americans  found,  upon  learn 
ing  that  Spain  had  ceded  the  province  of  Louisiana  to  France 
and  that  Great  Britain  looked  on,  well  pleased,  at  an  arrange- 
ment that  would  give  so  troublesome  a  neighbour  as  France, 
to  the  United  States. 

The  attention  of  Napoleon,  who  then  governed  France 
was  necessarily  directed  to  the  recovery  of  that  colonial  force 
which  had  been  lost  during  the  war.  His  present  amity  with 
Britain  opening  the  ocean  to  the  French  fleets,  enabled  the 
first  consul  to  form  plans  of  empire  in  the  only  region  where 
England  would  permit  and  might  applaud  the  attempt.  An 
expedition  was  fitted  out  to  recover  St.  Domingo  from  the 
insurgent  blacks.  After  its  conquest,  the  army  was  to  take 
possession  of  Louisiana ;  and  these  united  would  give  to 
France  a  certain  preponderance  in  the  West  Indies,  as  well 
as  commercial  advantages  highly  to  be  desired.  By  these 
means,  indeed,  they  would  have  the  full  command  of  the 
Mississippi,  and  the  gulf  stream  itself. 

The  president  no  sooner  learned  these  arrangements,  than 
he  wrote  to  Mr.  Livingston,  the  envoy  at  Paris,  to  represent 
there  the  inexpediency  of  them,  and  the  danger  that  would 


What  was  effected  by  the  treaty  of 
pe<ice  betweenEngland  and  France? 

What  did  the  Americans  expect  from 
It? 

What  nation  acquired  Louisiana  ? 
What  wa«  now  the  object  of  Napo- 
leon ? 

What  expedition  did  he  cause  lO  be 
fitted  out  ? 


After  conquering  St.  Domingo,  whi- 
ther was  the  French  arm^  to  pro- 
ceed ? 

What  would  n-aturally  follow  from 

this  proceeding  ? 
What  did  Jetferson  do  tn  pieveo^ 

this  ? 


ACQUISITION  OF  LOUISIANA 


33? 


accnie  to  the  good  feeling  oetween  tne  people  of  all  nations  ; 
ue  was  directed  to  urge  that  France  was  peculiarly  the  one 
wnich  offered  no  point  of  collision  with  the  Uniteil  States,  and 
vi'hich  had  been  considered,  in  consequence,  their  '  natural 
friend  /  that,  moreover,  there  was  but  one  spot  on  the  globe, 
whose  possessor  became  the  natural  and  immediate  enemy  of 
the  states  ;  that  this  was  New  Orleans,  through  which  three 
eighths  of  American  produce  must  pass,  to  find  a  market,  an<) 
that  France,  by  assuming  this  position,  took  an  attitude  of 
defiance  and  hostility.  In  this  state  of  contiguity  it  was  hope- 
less to  think  of  amity  between  France  and  America.  The 
latter  country  would  be  compelled  to  fling  herself  into  the 
arms  of  Great  Britain,  and  to  unite  with  that  power  in  sweep- 
ing France  from  the  seas,  and  subverting  all  her  trans-Atlantic 
dominion. 

Towards  the  close  of  his  instructions,  the  president  urged, 
that  should  France,  considering  Louisiana  as  an  essential 
adjunct  to  her  West  India  possessions,  remain  fixed  in  the 
resolve  to  keep  it,  the  envoy  was  directed  to  demand,  at  least, 
the  cession  of  the  Floridas  and  New^  Orleans  for  a  sum  of 
money  ;  though  even  this  alternative  was  stated  as  not  likely 
to  remove  the  cause  of  enmity  existing  in  the  newly  acquired 
vicinity  of  France. 

Napoleon  was,  of  course,  not  likely  to  yield  to  any  thing 
which  had  the  appearance  of  a  threat ;  and  the  right  which 
the  Americans  had  hitherto  enjoyed,  of  a  depot  at  New 
Orleans,  was  suspended  by  the  Spanish  authorities  in  Octobei 
1802.  The  western  states  were  instantly  in  a  flame  at  a  pro- 
hibition which,  rightful  or  not,  had  the  effect  of  suspending 
their  commerce. 

Many  of  them  determined  to  assert  their  right  by  arms; 
and  Jefferson,  notwithstanding  his  partiality  for  France,  would 
have  found  himself  embarked  inevitably  in  a  war  with  thai 
countiy  had  not  other  events  occurred  to  obviate  the  necessity, 
and  to  preserve  peaceably  for  the  United  States  more  than  was 
the  object  of  their  desires.  Fortune,  as  well  as  his  own  pru 
dence  and  address,  now  enabled  Jefferson  to  effect  the  mo^ 
solid  achievement  of  his  administration. 

France,  having  failed  in  the  attempt  to  subdue  St.  Domingo 
and,  in  addition  to  this,  a  fresh  breach  with  England  growi^p 
daily  more  imminent ;  the  schemes  of  the  first  consul  with 


What  wag  threatened  ? 
What  was  demandei  P 
When  was  the  port  of  New  Orleans 
closed  fti^ainst  the  Americans  ^ 


What  was  the  consequence  ? 
What  was  now  threatened  ? 


30 


B38 


WAR  WITH  TRIPOLI. 


respect  to  Louisiana  became  impracticable.  He  cuiiid  not 
hope  to  retain  it :  so  that,  instead  of  accepting  the  oiler  of  Jef- 
ferson to  pay  Spain  for  the  Floridas,  he  proposed  to  sell 
Louisiana  itself.  The  American  envoys,  Livingston  and 
Monroe,  accepted  the  offer,  and  the  immense  tracts  then 
called  Louisiana,  but  embracing  all  our  vast  territory  weal 
of  the  Mississippi,  were  added  to  the  United  States  for  the 
sum  of  fifteen  million  dollars. 

When  it  was  afterwards  objected,  that  the  Floridas  and 
New  Orleans  would  have  formed  a  more  important  acquisi 
tion,  the  president  replied,  that  now  the  Floridas  were  sur- 
rounded, and  could  not  in  time  be  prevented  from  becoming 
ours,  a  prediction  which  has  since  been  accomplished. 

Another  objection  made  to  the  acquisition  was,  that  the 
western  states  had  already  a  considerable  tendency  to  separate 
from  their  eastern  brethren  ;  and  that  when  reinforced  by 
liouisiana,  with  New  Orleans  for  a  probable  capital,  they 
would  infallibly,  one  day  or  other,  separate  and  form  a  new 
union. 

The  president  boldly  replied  to  this,  that  he  saw  no  in- 
convenience in  the  separation  ;  that  he  only  looked  upon  the 
Atlantic  states  and  the  Mississippi  ones  as  elder  and  younger 
brethren,  who  might  remain  united  as  long  as  it  was  for  their 
interest  and  happiness  ;  and  that  there  could  be  no  objection 
to  their  separating  as  soon  as  it  should  be  for  their  advantage 
so  to  do. 

The  Barbary  states  still  gave  great  impediment  to  the  com- 
merce of  the  United  States.  Agreements  had,  indeed,  been 
entered  into  with  the  two  principal  ones,  and  sums  of  money 
8acriliced  to  secure  the  respect  of  the  African  corsairs.  Bui 
the  lesser  of  these  powers  having  unsuccessfully  demanded  a 
similar  indulgence,  the  bashaw  of  Tripoli  declared  and  com 
menced  war.  A  force  under  Comuiodore  Preble  was  de- 
spatched into  the  Mediterranean.  One  of  the  ships,  the  Phila 
delphia,  in  reconnoitering  the  harbour  of  Tripoli,  run  aground 
%nd  was  taken.  The  subsequent  recapture  and  burning  of 
tais  ship,  under  the  guns  of  the  Tripolitan  batteries  and  co^ 


W^hat  did  Napoleon  propose  to  Mr. 

Jefl  jrson  ? 
What  were  his  reasons  for  so  doing  ? 
What  was  the  cost  of  the  immense 

regions  purchased  from  France  ? 
What  states  and  territories  are  now 

incluled  in  this  purchase? 
What  obiection  was  made  to  the  pur- 


What  was  Jefferson's  answer  ? 
What  other  objection  ? 
How  did  he  reply  to  this  ? 
What  is  said  of  the  Barbary  state* 
Who  was  sent  to  chastise  the  Tnpo* 
litans  ? 

What  happened  to  one  of  the  frigi^M  i 
What  lias  done  by  Decatur? 


OENERA?^  EATON^S  EXPEDITION. 


339 


ftaifs,  was  one  of  the  most  brilliant  achipvements  of  Decatur, 
wno  was  then  a  lieutenant,  and  accomplished  this  famous  feat 
in  a  small  schooner  with  but  seventy-six  men. 

The  war  with  Tripoli,  however,  would  have  probably 
effected  little,  bu;  for  the  enterprise  of  the  United  States' 
consul  at  Algiers.  This  gentleman,  whose  name  was  Eaton^ 
discovered  a  pretender  to  the  government  of  Tripoli,  in  an 
exiled  brother  of  the  reigning  bashaw.  The  consul  sought 
liim  out  across  the  desart,  collected  a  body  of  adventurers  such 
as  haunt  those  wilds,  and  invaded  the  Tripolitan  territory 
from  land,  whilst  the  American  fleet  lent  its  aid  by  sea.  The 
city  of  Derne  was  actually  taken  by  storm  ;  and  subsequently 
defended  with  success  against  the  Tripolitans.  These  opera- 
tions lasted  until  the  11th  of  June,  1805,  when  the  arrival  o 
the  frigate  Constitution  in  the  harbour  put  an  end  to  them  by 
bringing  an  announcement  that  peace  had  already  been  con' 
eluded  between  the  American  agent,  Mr.  Lear,  and  the  reign^ 
ing  bashaw. 

The  romantic  and  high  spirited  expedition  of  Eaton  was 
thus  terminated  in  a  most  unromantic  style  ;  for  by  the  treaty, 
the  agent  agreed  to  abandon  the  pretender,  and  pay  sixty 
thousand  dollars  ransom  for  the  American  prisoners.  Such 
an  arrangement,  made  at  such  a  moment,  could  not  be  ac- 
ceptable to  the  nation ;  but  the  treaty  was,  nevertheless 
ratified,  and  the  war  of  Tripoli  terminated. 

In  1804,  a  new  election  of  president  and  vice-president  took 
place.  Mr.  Jeflferson  was  re-ei^cted  to  the  former  oflice,  hav- 
ing received  all  but  fourteen  vol  ^s  ;  and  George  Clinton,  of 
New  York,  was  elected  vice-president.  During  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son's first  term  of  office,  (1802,)  Ohio  was  admitted  into  the 
Union,  and  began  its  astonishing  career  of  advancement  in 
population  and  wealth.  Tennessee  had  been  admitted  in 
1796. 

Colonel  Burr,  having  received  the  votes  of  the  federal  p2«rty 
when  the  election  of  Mr.  Jefferson  was  effected  by  the  house 
of  representatives,  had  lost  the  favour  of  the  republicans.  In 
1804,  he  was  proposed  for  the  office  of  governor  of  New  York, 
and  received  the  votes  of  many  of  the  federalists.  Colonel 
Hamilton,  who  heartily  despised  him  as  an  adventurer  in 
politics,  opposed  his  election,  and  he  was  defeated.  This 


What  was  accomplished  by  General 
Eaton  ? 

What  put  an  end  to  his  operations  ? 
"Vhat  were  the  terms  of  peace  ? 
SV^hen  was  Mr.  Jefferson  re-elected  ? 


Who  w^as  chosen  vice-president  ? 
What  states  had  been  admitted  into 

the  Union  ? 
What  occasioned  the  duel  between 

Burr  and  Hamilton  ? 


fiURR*S  CONSPlRACir, 


circumstance  led  te  a  dispute,  and  a  challenge  from  Bufl 
The  parties  met,  and  Hamilton  was  mortally  wounded.  No 
Pircumstance  of  the  kind  ever  occasioned  so  strong  a  feeling 
of  regret  throughout  the  country  as  this  fatal  duel. 

Burr  now  disappeared  from  public  notice  for  a  time;  and 
when  he  next  appeared  upon  the  stage,  it  was  in  a  new  careei 
of  unprincipled  ambition  in  the  south-western  part  of  the  Union 

All  attempts  to  liberate  the  Spanish  colonies,  and  commu 
nicate  the  same  freedom  and  independence  to  the  southern 
portion  of  America,  which  was  already  enjoyed  by  the 
northern,  were  naturally  popular  m  the  United  States.  Ge- 
neral Miranda  had  planned  such  an  expedition  against  Carae- 
cas,  and  had  sailed  from  New  York  with  this  view,  although 
Jefferson  had  given  him  no  protection.  Of  this  last,  how- 
ever, some  have  expressed  doubts  ;  for  Spain  had  long  resisted 
the  transfer  of  Louisiana,  had  made  an  inroad  into  it  in  one 
instance,  and  there  were  serious  and  mutual  causes  of  com- 
plaint between  the  countries. 

Colonel  Burr,  considering  this  state  of  things,  formed  a 
project  for  fitting  out  an  expedition  in  the  western  part  of  the 
Union,  and  proceeding  thence  to  the  conquest  of  Mexico.  As 
a  first  step  to  this,  he  was  to  seize  upon  New  Orleans,  which 
was  necessary  to  his  enterprise.  This  having  been  long  a 
favourite  project  of  the  western  settlers,  Burr  reckoned  upon 
the  support  of  the  thousands — in  fact  of  the  whole  region 
west  of  the  Alleghanies — which  he  calculated  would  place 
him  in  a  position  to  defy  the  controul  of  the  president  himself, 
were  he  tempted  to  interfere. 

However  popular  the  idea  had  b'^en,  Burr  overlooked  the 
material  change  in  circumstances  effected  by  the  acquisition 
of  Louisiana,  which  in  fact,  gratified  all  the  wants  and  wishes 
of  the  western  people.  A  more  criminal  part  of  the  enterprise 
was  an  understanding  with  the  Spanish  governor  in  Mexico, 
for  separating  the  western  from  the  Atlantic  states,  and  form- 
ing, as  it  were,  another  Union  for  himself,  since  the  old  had 
spurned  him.  The  fact  of  overtures  of  this  kind  having  been 
made  cannot  be  doubted,  but  their  sincerity  may  well  be  ques- 
tioned ;  and  that  Burr,  however  serious  his  designs  were  upon 
Mexico,  ever  designed  to  separate  the  Union  is  denied  by  his 
friends,  some  of  whom  were,  and  are  of  great  respectability 


What  was  its  result  ? 

Were  the  people  of  the  United  States 
desirous  of  freeing  Sparisli  Ame- 
rica ? 

IHuit  Is  said  of  Miranda's  expedition  ? 


What  scheme  did  Burr  concoct  ? 
Where  did  he  look  for  support  ? 
What  was  the  more  crimiT?fil  pur^  if 
the  enterprise  ? 


DEPREDATION?  ON  AMERICAN  CDMMERCK. 


341 


However  tnis  may  be,  he  trusted  too  much  to  the  good 
wWi  of  those  who  witnessed  his  preparations.  Intelligence 
nf  his  proceedings  was  conveyed  to  tfie  government.  Mea- 
sures were  taken  for  counteracting  them,  and  making  him 
prisoner;  and,  bemg  at  length  obliged  to  fly,  he  was  arrested 
on  his  way  to  Mobile  by  some  of  the  country  people,  and 
conveyed  to  Richmond.  His  trial,  on  a  charge  of  treason,  of 
course  drew  fc  "th  a  great  deal  of  political  feeling,  and  gave 
rise  to  many  unpleasant  circumstances  ;  but  for  want  of  suf- 
ficient evidence  he  was  finally  acquitted,  and  allowed  to  trans 
port  himself  to  Europe.  His  career  as  a  politician  was  now 
It  an  end. 

The  conduct  of  France  and  England,  in  committing  depie- 
dations  on  the  commerce  of  the  United  States,  had  now 
begun  to  produce  a  great  deal  of  irritation.  Complaints 
against  England,  particularly,  were  loud  and  clamorous.  In 

1804,  the  president,  in  his  message  to  congress,  had  congratu- 
ated  them,  that  annoyances  to  trade  had  ceased  in  Europe, 
though  they  still  existed  in  the  American  seas.   In  December, 

1805,  however,  he  announced  that  the  aspect  of  foreign  re 
lations  was  totally  changed.  He  represented  the  coasts  as 
infested  by  foreign  privateers,  who  made  a  practice  of  burning 
those  captures  to  which  they  thought  their  claim  questionable, 
and  by  public  vessels  which  pried  into  every  creek  and  har- 
bour. He  spoke  of  new  principles  of  commerce  adopted,  by 
which  belligerents  take  to  themselves  the  right  of  trading 
with  the  hostile  country,  which  they  deny  to  neutrals.  He 
concluded  by  expressing  a  doubt,  whether  there  was  need  of 
increasing  the  army ;  but  the  militia,  he  recommended,  should 
be  put  in  a  state  of  defence. 

These  warlike  intimations  were  occasioned  by  the  decrees 
of  the  British  admiralty,  which  had  the  eflfect  of  prohibitory 
laws  upon  American  commerce,  inasmuch  as  they  declared 
•uch  vessels  as  were  engaged  in  conveying  West  India  pro* 
duce  from  the  United  States  to  Europe,  legal  prizes.  The 
Americans  having  in  their  hands  nearly  the  whole  carrying 
trade  of  the  world,  during  Napoleon's  wars,  could  not  but 
feel  these  decress  as  levelled  particularly  at  themselves. 

As  soon,  therefore,  as  they  were  known,  they  excited  the 
jreaiest  indignation  in  this  country.    Meetings  were  held  in 


How  was  his  plan  discovered  ? 
On  what  charge  was  he  tried  ? 
What  was  the  result  ? 
What  gave  occasion  for  complaint 
syi^aiiis'  FranciC  and  England  ? 


What  was  declared  by  the  presidenc 

in  1804?    In  1805? 
What  decrees  occasioned  tnese  ra* 

marks  ? 

What  was  donfi  hfihe  ppop2ft  ? 


342 


AFFAIR  OF   THE  CHESAPEAKE. 


each  commercial  city,  petitions  were  forwarde  1  to  congress, 
and  the  republicans  clamoured  loudly  for  retaliation  ;  so  tha 
the  president  did  but  obey  the  public  voice  in  making  thi» 
vigorous  and  almost  menacing  address.  Not  content  with  it, 
he  followed  it  up  by  a  message  of  the  same  import,  in  the 
January  following. 

'J'he  federalists  objected  that  France  and  Spain  committal? 
equal  encroachments,  without  exciting  the  prf^sident's  ire  ii? 
any  such  proportion.  But  in  this  they  exaggerated,  sincf 
the  perseverance  of  England  in  impressing  American  seamen 
and  searching  American  ships  for  deserters,  and  that  evttii 
upon  our  own  coasts,  produced  daily  causes  of  grievance  fai 
more  numerous  and  irritating  than  the  decrees  of  Napoleon 
In  the  spring  the  British  ship  Leander,  then  on  a  cruise  of! 
New  York,  practised  the  most  rigid  search  and  annoyances 
towards  the  vessels  from  that  port.  On  one  occasion  a  she 
from  it  killed  an  American  sailor  of  the  name  of  Pearce.  No 
sooner  did  a  report  of  this  reach  the  United  States  government, 
than  a  proclamation  appeared,  mentioning  the  murder,  forbid- 
ding any  communication  between  the  shore  and  that  ship,  and 
in  fact  ordering  it  off  the  coast.  This  was  followed  by  a 
more  serious  legislative  act,  against  any  further  importation 
of  British  manufactures,  the  restriction  to  date  from  the  ensu- 
ing November. 

Meantime,  in  May,  1806,  the  British  orders  in  council 
were  passed,  declaring  several  European  ports  under  controul 
of  the  French,  to  be  in  a  state  of  blockade,  and  of  course  au- 
thorising the  capture  of  American  vessels  bound  for  them. 

In  the  month  of  June,  1807,  an  event  occurred  of  an 
extremely  irritating  character.  The  British  man  of  war 
Leopard,  coming  up  with  the  American  frigate  Chesapeake, 
near  the  coast  of  the  United  States,  fired  into  her,  killed  three 
of  her  men,  and  wounded  eighteen  more.  The  Chesapeake 
being  a  vessel  of  inferior  force,  and  unprepared  for  action 
struck  her  colours.  She  was  then  boarded  by  the  British, 
her  crew  mustered,  and  four  of  them  carried  off  under  pretence 
Uiat  they  were  British  deserters.  They  were  subsequently 
tried  at  Halifax,  and  one  of  them  hanged,  by  way  of  establish 
ng  the  rightfulness  of  the  impressment.  The  other  three 
were  proved  to  be  Americans,  who  had  been  impressed  by 
the  British,  and  had  escaped  from  their  service. 

What  said  the  federalists  ?  What  was  the  tenor  ot  the  Britiih 

Was  this  strictly  true  ?  orders  in  council  ? 

What  is  said  of  the  Leander  P  Give  an  account  of  the  affair  of  tjbi 

f^w  ^as  this  outrage  retaliated  ?  Cbegapeak^ 


BERLIN   AND  MILAN  DLTREES 


343 


The  intelligence  of  this  outrage  was  received  with  a  burst 
of  indignation  throughout  the  country.  Meetings  of  tlie  citi* 
zens  were  very  generally  held,  and,  forgetting  party  distinc- 
tions, all  united  in  resolutions  to  support  the  government  in 
any  measures  of  retaliation  or  redress  which  might  be  adopted* 
The  president  issued  a  proclamation,  forbidding  British  shipg 
of  war  the  ports  and  harbours  of  the  United  States,  and  in- 
itructed  the  American  ministers  at  the  court  of  St.  James  to 
demand  satisfaction  for  the  insult.  He  also  summoned  the 
oongress  to  meet,  and  take  the  subject  into  consideration. 

The  act  of  the  naval  officer  was  promptly  disavowed  by 
the  British  government,  who  also  forbade  the  right  of  search, 
which  they  claimed,  to  be  extended  to  ships  of  war;  but  as 
no  adequate  reparation  was  offered,  this  outrage  remained 
unforgiven  ;  and  contributed  to  keep  alive  the  hostile  feeling 
already  excited  by  the  aggressions  of  the  British  on  our  com- 
merce. 

By  his  Berlin  decree  of  1806,  Napoleon  had  forbidden  the 
introduction  of  any  English  goods  to  the  continent  of  Europe, 
even  in  neutral  vessels,  and  shut  the  harbours  of  France 
against  any  vessel  that  should  touch  at  an  English  port.  The 
English,  in  retaliation,  first  prohibited  the  trade  of  neutrals 
from  port  to  port,  belonging  to  their  enemy  ;  and  afterwards 
declared  the  whole  coast  of  Europe  in  a  state  of  blockade, 
prohibiting  neutrals  altogether  from  trade  with  the  continent. 

Napoleon,  on  learning  that  this  measure  had  been  adopted, 
thundered  forth  his  famous  Milan  decree,  confiscating  not 
only  the  vessels  that  should  touch  at  a  British  port,  but  such 
as  should  submit  to  be  searched  by  the  English.  This  was 
carrying  hostilities  to  an  extreme  on  both  sides.  The  great 
powers  of  the  land  and  sea,  unable  to  measure  their  strength, 
since  each  was  predominant  on  its  own  element,  came  to  vent 
heir  blows  upon  America. 

It  was  in  vain  that  the  government  of  the  United  States 
expostulated  with  them.  To  England  it  denied  having  sub- 
mitted to  the  decrees  of  the  French  ruler;  to  the  latter  it 
represented  the  indefeasible  rights  of  neutrals.  'Join  with 
me  in  bringing  England  to  reason,'  was  the  reply  of  Napoleon 


What  was  the  effect  of  this  ouurage 

on  the  American  people  ? 
What  was  done  by  the  president  ? 
Bjr  the  British  government  ? 
What  was  the  effect  cf  Napoleon's 

Berlin  dficrce  ? 


Of  the  English  retaliatory  order  in 
council  ? 

Of  the  Milan  decree  of  the  emperor  i 
What  did  the  government  of  the  Uni 
ted  States  represent  t)  England  f 
To  Napoleon  ? 
What  was  his  r^eply  i 


BU 


THE  EMBARGO. 


who  was  blind  to  all  objects  and  reasons,  but  that  ot  humbling 
his  arch-enemy.  America  was,  in  consequence,  left  to  choose 
which  of  the  belligerents  she  would  take  for  an  enemy,  since 
both  at  once  might  prove  too  powerful  for  her,  and  neutrality, 
persevered  in,  only  exposed  her  vessels  lo  capture  without 
retaliation — to  the  disadvantages,  in  fact,  witliout  the  advan 
tages  of  war.  , 

The  American  ships  being  so  much  exposed  to  capture, 
congress,  in  December,  1807,  decreed  an  embargo,  or  prohi- 
bition to  American  vessels  to  leave  their  ports  ;  a  measurJ? 
which  operated  far  more  to  the  disadvantage  of  England  and 
of  American  merchants,  than  of  France.  Mr.  Jefterson,  iii 
his  correspondence,  acknowledges  this  to  have  been  a  measure 
preparatory  to  war,  allowing  the  merchants  to  recall  home 
their  ships  and  sailors,  and  the  country  to  put  itself  in  a  pos- 
ture of  defence.  The  embargo  caused  much  distress,  and 
many  murmurs,  especially  in  the  New  England  states  ;  but 
the  edict  was  rigidly  enforced  by  the  government. 

During  the  year  1808,  no  progress  was  made  towards  an 
accommodation.  To  demands  made  by  the  United  States  of 
both  the  great  European  rivals,  to  recall  their  obnoxious  de- 
crees, France  made  no  answer,  whilst  Mr.  Canning  returned 
one  that  was  considered  insulting.  In  the  mean  time,  the 
distress  in  the  United  States,  occasioned  by  the  embargo 
became  so  great  as  to  occasion  a  considerable  defection  from 
the  government  party.  In  New  England,  particularly,  the 
federalists  acquired  a  decided  majority,  and  Massachusetts 
boldly  remonstrated  against  the  edict,  and  recommended  ita 
repeal. 

In  the  autumn  of  1808,  Mr.  Jefferson  having  signified  his 
intention  of  retiring  from  office  at  the  expiration  of  hii 
second  term,  James  Madison  was  elected  to  succeed  him, 
and  George  Clinton  was  re-elected  to  the  office  of  vice-pre- 
eident.  In  March,  1809,  he  retired  to  his  farm  at  Monticello, 
tP  pass  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  literary  leisure,  and  the 
society  of  a  large  circle  of  admiring  friends,  who  were  con- 
fiftantly  repairing  to  his  residence  to  interchange  the  offices  of 
kindness  and  attention. 

The  following  remarks  on  the  character  of  Jefferson  are 


What  alternative  had  the  Americans  ? 

When  was  the  embargo  law  passed  ? 

What  was  its  elfect  ? 

What  passed  in  1808  ? 

What  cnongc  took  place  in  conse- 


quence 01  the  distress  caused  bj 

the  embargo  ? 
When  did  JeffersciJ  retire  from  oiBce 
Who  was  elected  to  succeed  him  ? 
Whither  did  he  retixs  ? 


CHARACTER  OF  JEFFERSON. 


from  a  foreign  writer,  who  appears  to  express  hiinself  with 
impartiality  on  American  events  and  characters  : — 

*  However  secondary  the  name  and  fame  of  Jefferson  may 
Beem  to  those  classic  ones  of  the  revolution — Washington 
and  Franklin — his  influence  is  likely  to  be  much  more  con- 
siderable and  permanent  than  that  of  these  memjrable  per- 
sons. Their  efforts,  in  conjunction  with  his,  were  directed 
to  the  great  general  task  of  freedom  and  independence  ;  but, 
in  addition  to  this,  Jefferson  has  founded  a  school  of  political 
principle  and  party,  which  has  swallowed  up  all  others  in  the 
United  States,  and  which  is  likely  to  be  professed  more  or 
less  by  every  free  people.  His  principles  are  those,  no 
doubt,  of  the  French  republicans  ;  but  their  short-lived  and 
stormy  reign  never  allowed  time  for  the  devt^lopment  of  a 
principle.  They  proclaimed  them,  but  had  not  time  to  act 
apon  them,  before  they  were  cut  down.  But  Jefferson  stood 
Long  enough,  and  wrote,  and  spoke,  and  overcame,  so  as  to 
infuse  his  own  spirit  into  the  majority.  He  exists,  indeed, 
in  history,  as  a  model  of  a  republican  statesman — bold  and 
evelling  in  his  principles,  and  shrinking  from  none  of  their 
consequences.  From  some  of  these,  from  both  perhaps,  the 
monarchist  of  Europe  may  shrink.  But  argument  is  idle  on 
such  a  subject;  the  great  phenomenon  is  there,  and,  though 
yet  incomplete,  the  experiment  is  in  progress.  The  political 
government  that  Jefferson  conceived  is  realised  in  that  of  the 
United  States ;  and  should  it  prove  a  happy  one,  durable, 
prosperous,  and  great,  (and  there  is  every  prospect  of  its 
continuing,  as  there  is  proof  of  its  being  so,)  it  will  be 
vain  to  find  fault  with  the  principles  which  have  given  birth 
to  such  a  state.  Of  Jefferson's  private  honesty  there  is  irre 
fragable  proof.  The  property  of  one  wh  )  had  been  the 
greater  part  of  his  life  either  the  minister  or  the  soveicign 
of  his  country,  was  sold  to  pay  his  debts.* 


CHAPTER  XXXVL 

COMMENCEMENT  OF  MADISOn's  ADMINISTRATION, 

The  public  services  of  Mr.  Madison  had  fully  entitled  him 
to  the  first  office  of  the  state.    We  have  seen  that  he  was 


What  ilnaracter  is  ascribed  to  Teffer-  I  What  was  the  character  of  Mr.  Ma- 
ton  ?  I    dison  ? 


346 


MISSIONS  OF   ERSKINE   AND  JACKSON 


one  of  the  first  authors  of  the  federal  constitution,  and  hao 
been  most  active  in  recommending  it  to  the  adoption  of  hit 
countrymen.  His  subsequent  career  had  not  been  marked  as 
hat  of  a  partisan.  He  was  declared  to  want  the  <?tronff  anti- 
British  feeling  of  his  predecessor,  and  it  was  now  confidently 
hoped,  that  an  accommodation  between  the  United  States  and 
the  leading  maritime  power  of  Europe  might  speeiily  take 
place. 

In  March,  1809,  the  embargo  law  was  repealed,  and  an 
act  passed  prohibiting  all  intercourse  between  this  country 
snd  both  France  and  Great  Britain.  A  provision  was  in- 
Berted  in  this  non-intercourse  law,  that  if  either  of  the  bel- 
ligerent nations  should  revoke  her  hostile  edicts,  the  law 
should  cease  to  be  in  force  with  respect  to  that  nation. 

The  repeal  of  the  embargo,  and  the  substitution  of  a  lesi 
obnoxious  act,  offered  a  fit  and  favourable  pretext  for  renew 
ing  negotiations.  Mr.  Erskine  was  accordingly  sent  out  by 
the  British  government  to  treat,  and  considering  the  suspen- 
sion of  the  non-intercourse  a  fair  equivalent  for  that  of  the 
orders  in  council,  he  stipulated  that  the  orders  should  cease 
to,  be  in  force  at  a  certain  epoch.  The  president,  accord- 
ingly, suspended  the  non-intercourse  But  tidings  no  sooner 
reached  England  of  the  act  of  Mr.  Erskine,  than  he  was 
disavowed.  The  orders  in  council  were  suspended  only  so 
far  as  not  to  endanger  those  vessels  which  had  sailed  from 
America  on  the  faith  of  Mr.  Erskine's  declaration.  The  pre- 
sident, in  consequence,  declared  the  non-intercourse  act  still 
in  force,  and  the  silent  war  of  prohibitory  edicts  continued 
on  its  old  footing. 

Mr.  Erskine  was  recalled,  and  Mr.  Jackson  sent  in  his 
place.  The  latter  was  ill  chosen,  since  there  was  some 
cause  which  rendered  him  particularly  obnoxious  to.  the  Ame- 
ricans. He  was  coldly  received,  and  made  to  wait  even  fot 
hj3  recognition  for  some  time.  His  endeavours  to  renew  the 
negotiation  were  met  by  the  remark  of  the  inutility  of  such 
an  attempt,  and  by  an  allusion  to  the  duplicity  of  the  British 
government  in  the  affair  of  Erskine.  Jackson  retorted  with 
warmth  and  insinuated  that  the  American  government  were 


When  was  che  embargo  law  re- 
pealed ? 

What  was  substituted  for  it  ? 

Who  was  sent  out  by  the  British 
government  to  negotiate  ? 

What  did  he  offei  ? 

What  was  done  by  the  president  ? 

How  did  the  British  government 


elude  the  performance  of  their  en 

gagements  made  by  Mr.  Erskif  le  } 
What  was  then  done  by  the  president? 
Who  was  sent  out  by  England  in 

place  of  Mr.  Erskine  ? 
How  was  he  received  ? 
What  passed  bet\veen  Mm  aud  om 

govemmont ) 


KEIATIONS  WITH  ENGLAND  AND  FRANCE.  Ml 


at  the  time  of  his  negotiation,  aware  that  Erskine  had  ex- 
ceeded his  powers,  and  that  his  acts  would  not  be  sanctioned 
by  his  government.  This  charge  being  promptly  denied 
and  insultingly  repeated,  further  communication  with  Jack- 
son was  declined,  and  his  recall  demanded  of  the  minister  ia 
London. 

France  having  been  applied  to  by  America  at  this  time, 
the  emperor  replied,  that  his  decrees  were  but  retaliation ; 
and  that  if  England  recalled  her  blockade  and  her  ordt  rs  in 
council,  he  would  suffer  his  decrees  to  be  considered  null. 
Mr.  Madison,  availing  himself  of  this  fair  offer  of  Napoleon, 
obtained  from  congress  resolutions  approving  his  high  tone 
of  policy  towards  England. 

Preparations  for  war  continued  with  activity;  and  the 
people  already  began  to  turn  their  attention  and  activity 
towards  the  domestic  jiroduction  of  those  manufactures  which 
had  been  heretofore  supplied  by  England  ;  and  the  English 
began  to  seek  elsewhere  those  commodities  which  the  United 
States  had  furnished.  She  sought  them  in  Canada  chiefly. 
Ths  alienation  and  mutual  injury  thus  worked  by  commercial 
prohibitions  were,  perhaps,  greater  than  could  have  come  of 
actual  war. 

The  non-intercourse  act  expiring  in  1810,  the  Americans 
^gain  summoned  the  two  powers  to  remove  their  restrictions. 
This  was  asked  with  the  manifest  purpose  of  declaring  war 
f  the  restrictions  were  not  removed.  Napoleon  replied  by 
an  amicable  advance,  intimating  through  his  minister,  that 
his  decrees  should  be  suspended.  It  was  understood  by  him, 
of  course,  that  America  should  no  longer  submit  to  the  orders 
m  council  if  unrepealed. 

To  the  English  ministry  an  appeal  was  now  made  to  fol- 
low the  example  of  France.  Unfortunately  for  them,  they 
hesitated,  chicaned  as  to  the  supposed  insincerity  of  the 
French  declaration,  or  the  informality  of  its  announcement, 
and  persisted  in  enforcing  the  orders  in  council.  Mr.  Pinck- 
ney,  the  American  envoy  in  London,  disgusted  at  this  shuf- 
fling behaviour  of  the  British  government,  demanded  his 
audience  of  leave. 

In  this  doubtful  state  of  connection  between  America  ano 
England,  another  accidental  collision  took  place  between 


Between  our  government  and  Na- 
poleon ? 

How  did  the  Americans  prepare  for 
war  ? 
British? 


What  was  done  in  1810  ? 
What  was  otfeied  by  Napoleon? 
How  did  the  English  miuiftry  W 
have  ? 


348 


AFFAIR  OF  THE  LITTLE  BELT. 


vessels  of  the  respective  countries,  tending  much  to  inflame 
and  widen  the  existing  differences.  An  English  sloop  of  war, 
the  Little  Belt,  commanded  by  Captain  Bingham,  descried  a 
ship  off  the  American  coast,  and  made  sail  to  come  up  with 
it;  but  finding  it  a  frigate,  and  dubious  of  its  nation,  he  re- 
tired. The  other,  which  proved  to  be  American,  the  Preei* 
dent,  under  Captain  Rogers,  pursued  in  turn.  The  American 
captain  hailed,  and,  instead  of  an  answer,  received  a  shot  in 
his  mainmast.  He  returned  the  fire,  and  speedily  silenced 
tlic  guns  of  his  adversary,  disabling  his  ship  and  killing  thirty- 
two  of  his  men. 

In  April,  1811,  a  settlement  was  made  at  the  mouth  of 
Columbia  river,  under  the  auspices  of  Mr.  Astor,  of  New 
York,  to  which  the  name  of  Astoria  was  given.  Its  object 
was  the  opening  of  the  fur  trade  and  the  formation  of  an 
extensive  American  colony.  The  war,  which  ensued  next 
year,  occasioned  its  abandonment.  A  full  account  of  this 
undertaking  is  given  in  Washington  Irving's  **  Astoria." 

In  November  congress  assembled,  and  the  president  ad- 
dressed it  fully  respecting  the  points  and  consequences  of  the 
still  widening  difference.  It  was  hoped,  he  said,  at  the  close 
of  the  last  session,  that  the  confirmation  of  the  extinction  of 
the  French  decrees  would  have  induced  the  government  of 
Great  Britain  to  repeal  its  orders  in  council :  on  the  contrary 
however,  they  had  been  put  into  more  vigorous  execution ; 
and  fresh  outrages  had  been  committed  on  the  American  coasts. 

Congress,  convinced  of  the  necessity  of  preparing  in  earnest 
for  war,  voted  an  increase  of  the  regular  army  to  35,000  men  ; 
augmented  the  navy,  and  empowered  the  president  to  accept 
of  the  services  of  volunteers,  call  out  the  militia,  as  occasion 
might  require,  and  borrow  eleven  millions  of  dollars. 

In  his  message  to  congress,  the  president  adverted  to  a  new 
spirit  of  hostility  displayed  among  the  north-western  Indians, 
This  was  attributed  to  the  influence  of  the  British.  It  wa* 
also  stimulated  by  the  exertions  of  an  Indian  prophet,  a  re- 
former, who  preached  to  his  red  brethern,  that  all  their  disas- 
ters had  been  owing  to  their  having  forsaken  the  wise  and 
simple  habits  of  their  ancestors  ;  and  that  he  had  been  prompted 
by  the  Great  Spirit  to  warn  them  from  mingling  with  the 
whites,  from  eating  hogs  and  bullocks  in  lieu  of  the  game 

Whai  was  the  consequence  ?  What  was  done  by  congress  ? 

Give  an  account  of  the  affair  of  the    What  is  said  of  the  Indians  ? 

Little  Belt.  Of  their  prophet  ? 

What  is  said  of  Mr.  Foster's  mission  ?  What  was  the  sub8taiy*e  of  hh  bani^ 
tVhat  was  declared  by  the  president      gues  ? 

to  cnngress  i  | 


henry's  mission 


940 


fiat  used  to  give  them  the  warrior's  ai.d  the  hunter's  spirit ; 
and,  above  all,  from  ihe  use  of  ardent  spirits.  This  last  wise 
miu notion  gave  force  and  plausibility  to  all  that  the  savagfl 
uttered.  His  fanatic  advice,  however  salutary  in  one  respect, 
pecessarily  produced  hatred  towards  the  whites,  and  outrages 
upon  them.  Many  affirmed  that  the  hostile  spirit  thus  ex- 
cited was  directed  by  the  British  against  the  Americans. 

In  the  autumn  of  1811,  General  Harrison  was  sent  into  the 
country  of  these  hostile  Indians,  to  treat  or  fight  with  them 
as  occasion  might  require.  On  the  6th  of  November,  being 
arrived  at  Tippecanoe,  their  chief  settlement,  he  was  met  by 
a  deputation  from  the  chiefs,  who  stipulated  that  no  attack 
should  be  made  before  the  next  day,  when  they  would  be 
ready  for  a  friendly  conference. 

In  the  night  the  American  camp  was  suddenly  and  furiously 
assaulted  by  the  Indians  ;  but  the  Americans  having  suspected 
treachery  and  slept  on  their  arms,  made  a  gallant  resistance, 
defeated  and  dispersed  the  enemy,  and  burnt  their  town,  not, 
however,  without  a  severe  loss  in  killed  and  wounded. 

In  the  month  of  February,  1812,  Captain  John  Henry, 
formerly  of  the  United  States  army,  and  afterwards  resident 
in  Canada,  gave  information  to  the  president,  that  in  1809  he 
had  been  employed  by  Sir  James  Craig,  the  governor  of  Ca- 
nada, upon  a  secret  mission  to  the  New  England  states,  for 
the  purpose  of  gaining  information  of  the  state  of  parties,  and 
inducing  those  who  were  opposed  to  the  restrictions  of  the 
American  government  on  commerce,  to  effect  a  separation  of 
the  northern  states  from  the  Union,  and  form  a  political  con- 
nection between  those  states  and  Great  Britain.  For  this 
information  Henry  was  paid  $50,000,  from  the  contingent 
fund  for  foreign  intercourse.  He  furnished  ample  document- 
ary evidence  of  the  truth  of  his  disclosures,  which  was  after- 
wards fully  corroborated  by  developements  made  in  the 
British  parliament.  But  his  mission  had  entirely  failed,  and 
H  did  not  appear  that  he  had  succeeded  in  bringing  any  indi- 
vidual in  this  country  to  adopt  his  views.  His  motive  for 
disclosure  was  the  failure  of  his  employers  to  compensate 
him  for  his  services.  This  affair  proved  the  hostile  disposi- 
tion  of  the  government  of  Great  Britain  towards  the  United 
States,  and  served  to  increase  the  irritation  already  created  in 


When  was  General  Harrison  sent 

against  the  Indians  ? 
Where  did  he  meet  their  chiefs  ? 
What  took  place  in  t!ie  night  ? 

80 


What  waf  the  result  of  the  battlt  f 
Who  was  Jonn  Henry  f 
Give  an  account  of  his  mission. 
Of  his  disclosure  and  its  result 


850 


WAR  DECLARED. 


this  couDtiy,  by  the  injuries  inflicted  on  our  commerce,  %  4 
the  impressment  of  our  seamen. 

Preparations  for  war  were  still  actively  continued  by  con- 
gress until  the  20ta  of  May,  1812,  when  the  arrival  of  itie 
Hornet,  from  London,  bringing  information  that  no  reasonable 
prospect  existed  of  a  change  m  the  measures  of  the  British 
government,  served  to  bring  matters  to  a  crisis.  On  the  Isli 
of  June  the  president  transmitted  to  congress  a  message  enu- 
merating the  injuries  received  from  Great  Britain,  and  submit- 
dng  the  question,  whether  they  should  be  longer  endure  1,  ot 
immediate  recourse  had  to  the  ultimate  resort  of  injured  na- 
tions, a  declaration  of  war. 

After  deliberating  on  this  measure  with  closed  doors,  an  act 
was  passed  by  congress,  on  the  18th,  declaring  war  against 
Great  Britain.  The  immediate  effect  of  this  measure  was  a 
violent  exasperation  of  parties,  the  friends  of  government  ap- 
plauding the  act,  as  spirited  and  patriotic,  and  the  opposition 
condemning  it  as  unnecessary,  unjustifiable,  and  impolitic. 
In  the  New  England  states,  particularly  where  the  revolu- 
tionary war  found  its  most  active  supporters,  the  most  decisive 
opposition  was  manifested,  and  every  effort  was  used  on  the 
part  of  the  political  leaders  to  render  the  war  unpopular,  and 
to  embarrass  the  government  in  its  prosecution. 

Some  of  those,  who  opposed  the  war,  held  that  it  was 
both  unjustifiable  and  inexpedient;  while  others  allowed  that 
abundant  provocation  had  been  given,  but  denied  that  the 
nation  was  sufficiently  prepared  for  the  conflict.  The  mino- 
rity of  congress,  the  legislatures  of  Massachusetts,  Connecticut 
and  New  Jersey,  and  several  of  the  commercial  cities,  pro 
tested  against  the  war  in  public  addresses.  But  a  majority 
of  the  people  of  the  United  States  was  undoubtedly  in  favoui 
of  the  measure.  In  some  places  the  act,  declaring  it,  was 
received  with  illuminations  and  rejoicings,  and  the  cities  of 
New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  Baltimore,  passed  resolutions 
approving  of  the  conduct  of  government,  and  pledging  them 
eelves  to  support  it. 

The  popular  voice  was  so  strongly  in  favour  of  war  in  th# 
city  of  I3altimore,  that  an  editor  who  had  ventured  to  indulgf 
in  some  severe  strictures  on  the  conduct  of  the  government, 
fiad  his  press  and  printing  office  destroyed  by  the  populace  i 


What  information  was  received  in 
May  ? 

What  was  done  by  the  president  ? 

When  was  war  declared  ? 

What  was  the  effect  of  the  measure  ? 


What  is  said  of  New  England  ? 
Who  DFOtested  against  the  war  t 
Who  favoured  it  ? 
What  took  place  in  Baltimoro  ' 


»»EW   tlNOLAND  OPPOSED  tO  THE   WAR.  85l 


tnd  \»heii  he  peisisted  in  publishing  the  paper,  printing  it  in 
a  neighbouring  town,  he  and  a  party  of  his  friends  who  had 
volunteered  in  foicioly  defending  his  house,  were  very  se- 
verely handled.  Several  lives  were  lost  in  this  affair,  and 
among  the  rest  that  of  General  Lingan,  a  veteran  officer,  who 
bad  served  with  distinction  in  the  revolution. 

The  distress  occasionea  ainong  the  people  of  New  England 
by  the  suspension  of  their  commerce  and  the  cutting  off  of 
tieir  usual  supply  of  provisions  from  the  south,  served  still 
further  to  heighten  the  exaspeiadon  felt  in  that  portion  of  the 
country.  A  large  proportion  of  the  commercial  interest  iii 
other  parts  of  the  Union  panicipaced  in  this  feeling,  so  that, 
although  a  numerical  majority  ol  the  people  of  the  United 
States  was  in  favour  of  the  measure,  it  by  no  means  united 
the  various  classes  of  society  so  strongly  in  support  of  the 
government  as  the  attack  on  iheir  liberties  had  done  at  the 
opening  of  the  revolutionary  contest.  Whatever  disagree- 
ment there  might  be,  however,  among  the  political  parties  oi 
that  period,  time  has  afforded  ample  evidence  that  the  wai 
was  not  declared  too  soon  for  the  national  honour  or  welfare 


CHAPTER  XXXVIL 

CAMPAIGN  OP  1812. 

When  the  war  of  independence  was  commenced,  the 
United  States  contained  less  than  four  millions  of  inhabitants, 
and  had  neither  an  army,  a  treasury,  or  a  national  existence. 
But  it  possessed  a  people  united  in  purpose,  and  firmly  re* 
solved  to  vindicate  their  rights.  At  the  opening  of  the  vrai 
of  1812,  the  country  had  eight  millions  of  inhabitants,  greal 
resources  of  wealth,  and  all  the  elements  of  an  efficient  army 
and  navy.  But  the  people  were  divided  in  sentiment,  indis- 
posed for  war  by  a  long  continuance  of  peace,  and  unfit  for 
its  successful  prosecution  by  inexperience  and  irresolution. 
Their  early  movements  in  the  new  contest  were  marked  by  a 
tharacter  of  indecision  corresponding  with  this  want  of  pre- 
paration.   It  was  not  till  near  the  close  of  the  conflict  that 


W^hat  IS  laid  of  New  England  ?         I  What  is  said  of  the  war  iP^peEil* 

Of  the  commercial  interest  ?  I     ence  ? 

Of  the  people  f    Of  the  war  ?  |  Of  the  war     1812  ? 


352 


MILITARY  FORCE  OF  THE  COUNTRY 


the  national  spirit  was  fully  roused;  and  the  results  at  thai 
period  were  such  as  to  show  that  when  fairly  and  heartily 
embarked  in  a  contest,  the  people  possess  the  same  spirit  and 
the  same  moral  power  which  carried  them  so  nobly  through 
the  struggle  for  independence. 

In  organising  the  army,  Henry  Dearborn  of  Massachusetti 
was  appointed  major  general  and  commander  in  chief  He 
had  served  in  the  revolutionary  contest,  and  had  subsequently 
borne  the  office  of  secretary  of  war.  Thomas  Pinckney  of 
South  Carolina  also  received  a  commission  as  major  general, 
and  Wilkinson,  Hampton,  Bloomfield,  and  Hull  were  among 
the  brigadier  generals. 

The  army  which  until  the  year  1808  had  numbered  no 
more  than  3,000  men,  had  then  been  augmented  to  6,'000.  In 
January,  1812,  congress  had  directed  a  force  of  upwards  of 
25,000  to  be  raised,  so  that  the  entire  force  authorised  by 
law,  now  exceeded  35,000,  including  officers  ;  consisted  of 
25  regiments  of  infantry,  3  of  artillery,  2  of  light  artillery, 
2  of  dragoons,  and  2  rifle  regiments.  In  addition  to  this, 
the  president  was  authorised  to  accept  the  services  of  any 
number  of  volunteers,  not  exceeding  fifty  thousand,  who  were 
to  be  armed  and  equipped  by  the  United  States ;  and  a  similar 
authority  was  given  to  him  to  call  upon  the  governors  of  states 
for  detachments  of  militia,  the  whole  of  which  was  not  to 
exceed  100,000. 

Though  apparently  formidable,  this  force  wanted  many  of 
the  requisites  of  an  efficient  army.  The  act  authorising  the 
raising  of  25,000  men,  had  been  passed  so  short  a  time  be- 
fore the  declaration  of  war,  that  scarcely  one  fourth  of  that 
number  was  enlisted  ;  and  these  were  by  no  means  in  a  high 
state  of  discipline.  The  volunteers  and  militia  were  yet  to 
be  called  for,  as  occasion  might  require,  and  their  services 
were  considered  of  very  doubtful  utility.  Even  in  the  revo- 
lutionary war,  they  had  been  pronounced  by  high  authority, 
a  most  inefficient  species  of  force,  and  the  long  peace  had 
certainly  not  increased  their  efficiency.  The  officers,  how- 
ever, who  had  the  direction  of  the  military  force,  had  served 
with  distinction,  and  high  hopes  were  entertained  of  a  sue- 
ressful  campaign. 

The  whole  navy  of  the  United  States  consisted  of  but  10 
frigates,  5  of  which  were  laid  up  in  ordinary,  10  ^loop 


Who  was  appointed  commander  in  I 
chief? 

HTho  were  among  the  other  generals  ? 


I  What  was  the  military  fo  ce  of  ikf 
country  ? 
What  were  its  deficiencies  ? 
What  is  said  of  the  naTT  ^ 


Gfi;NERAL  hull's  EXPEDITION. 


353 


ind  smaller  vessels,  and  165  gun  boats,  only  60  of  which 
were  in  commission.  With  this  trifling  force,  war  was  com- 
menced with  a  power  that  numbered  a  thousand  ships  afloat, 
and  boasted  herself  the  mistress  of  the  ocean.  The  com- 
merce and  fisheries  of  the  United  States,  however,  had  given 
her  the  elements  of  a  navy  ;  and  if  the  Americans  had  not 
many  ships,  subsequent  events  proved  that  they  had  men; 
and  that  the  efficiency  of  a  navy  depends  more  upon  dis- 
cipline and  courage  than  upon  the  size  and  number  of  its 
vessels. 

The  plan  of  operations  at  the  commencement  of  the  war, 
was  to  garrison  and  defend  the  sea-board  principally  by  oc- 
casional calls  on  the  militia,  aided  by  a  few  of  the  regular 
troops,  the  whole  to  be  under  the  direction  of  the  generals 
of  the  regular  army,  stationed  at  the  most  important  points. 
The  remaining  regular  troops,  with  such  volunteers  as  could 
be  procured  and  a  portion  of  the  militia,  were  to  attack  the 
British  posts  in  Upper  Canada  and  subdue  them,  with  the 
ultimate  design  of  invading  and  conquering  Lower  Canada. 

With  these  views-,  William  Hull,  the  governor  of  Michigan 
erritory,  having  been  appointed  a  brigadier  general,  on  the 
25th  of  May,  took  command  of  the  army  destined  for  tfie 
nvasion  of  Canada.  On  the  1st  of  June,  he  rendezvoused 
at  Urbanna,  in  Ohio.  His  force  consisted  of  500  regular 
troops,  and  1,200  Ohio  volunteers,  under  the  command  of 
Colonels  M'Arthur  and  Cass.  Proceeding  in  a  north-west- 
erly direction,  the  army  marched  through  a  wilderness  to 
Detroit,  the  capital  of  Michigan  territory,  situated  on  the 
west  bank  of  Detroit  river. 

On  his  arrival  at  this  place,  General  Hull  was  joined  by 
the  Michigan  militia ;  and  expecting  the  co-operation  of  Ge- 
neral Dearborn  on  the  Niagara  frontier,  he  made  his  descent 
on  Canada  on  the  12th  of  July.  He  crossed  the  river  and 
established  his  head  quarters  at  Sandwich,  a  village  on  the 
opposite  bank.  Here  he  issued  a  proclamation,  offering 
peace  and  protection  to  the  Canadians  who  would  remain  at 
home,  and  threatening  extermination  to  such  as  should  be 
ibund  in  arms  associated  with  the  Indians.  He  further  de- 
clared that  he  commanded  a  force  sufficient  to  '  look  down  aE 
opposition,'  which  was  but  the  van  of  a  much  greater  force 


What  was  the  plan  of  operations  ?  Whither  did  he  first  march  ? 
Who  commanded  on  the  north-west-    When  did  he  enter  Canada  ? 

ern  frontier  ?       ^  -  What  is  said  of  his  proclam&tioii  f 

tVhat  was  his  force  r 

30* 


354 


GOVERNOR  BROCK^S  PROCLAMATION. 


la  consequence  of  this  proclamation,  several  liundi-nd  Cana- 
dian militia  joined  the  Americans,  or  returned  to  their  homes 
under  General  Hull's  protection. 

Meantime  the  British  had  collected  a  considerab  e  force 
of  Canadians  and  Indians,  and  strengthened  their  garrison 
at  Maiden. 

Excepting  some  skirmishing  parties  under  the  command 
of  Colonels  M'Arthur  and  Cass,  nothing  was  done  to  pro- 
mote the  objects  of  the  invasion  till  August  8th  ;  General 
Hull  remaining  during  the  interval  in  his  encampment  at 
Sandwich.  He  then  gave  orders  for  the  main  body  to  re-cross 
the  river  and  retire  to  Detroit,  abandoning  the  Canadians  who 
had  accepted  his  protection,  to  the  vengeance  of  their  own 
government,  and  disgusting  his  own  men  with  his  inertness 
and  pusillanimity. 

Towards  the  last  of  July,  a  reinforcement  of  150  volun- 
teers from  Ohio,  under  Captain  Brush,  who  had  been  ordered 
*o  join  General  Hull,  arrived  at  the  river  Raisin,  36  miles 
below  Detroit.  Here  they  were  ordered  to  await  an  escor* 
from  the  camp.  Two  hundred  militia,  under  Major  Vanhorn, 
being  sent  on  this  service,  fell  into  an  ambuscade  of  Indians, 
and  were  obliged  to  retreat,  with  the  loss  of  17  killed  and  30 
wounded. 

On  the  8th  of  August,  a  detachment  of  600  men,  under 
Colonel  Miller,  being  despatched  on  the  same  service,  were 
attacked  by  a  large  body  of  British  and  Indians  within  14 
miles  of  Detroit.  The  enemy  was  gallantly  resisted,  and 
compelled  to  retreat  with  a  heavy  loss  ;  but  the  detachment 
returned  to  Detroit  on  the  10th,  without  effecting  its  object. 

While  these  events  were  passing.  General  Brock,  the 
governor  of  Canada,  had  been  making  active  preparations 
for  its  defence.  He  issued  a  proclamation  in  answer  to  that 
of  General  Hull,  reminding  the  Canadians  of  their  previous 
prosperity  and  freedom  under  the  British  government,  and 
calling  upon  them  to  join  his  standard.  This  address  was 
not  without  effect.  The  Canadians  joined  the  governor  in 
great  mimbers,  and  on  the  13th  of  August,  General  Brock 
arrived  at  Maiden  with  a  respectable  force,  just  after  the  Ame 


What  was  its  effett  ? 

Where  were  the  British  forces  posted? 

Where  did  General  Hull  remaiL  till 

August  8th  ? 
What  did  he  theL  do  ? 
What  had  been  done  in  July 


Who  were  sent  to  escort  Captaif 
Brush's  reinforcement  to  the  camp 
What  was  the  result  ? 
Who  was  next  sent  ? 
What  ensued  ? 

What  w;is  done  by  General  Brock f 
W  len  did  he  arrive  at  MuHmi? 


■TJRRENDER  OF  GENERAL  HULL. 


355 


ricaii  troops  had  retired  from  the  Canadian  shore,  dispirited, 
and  disgusted  with  their  commander.  On  the  15th,  General 
Brock  erected  batteries  on  the  bank  of  the  river  opposite 
Detroit,  and  summoned  the  American  general  to  surrender ; 
stating  that  he  should  otherwise  be  unable  to  njstrain  the  In- 
dians from  committing  their  usual  atrocities.  This  summons 
was  answered  by  a  refusal,  and  a  declaration  that  the  fortre» 
would  be  defended  to  the  last  extremity.  The  firing  fron 
he  fortifications  on  both  sides  now  commenced,  and  con 
tinued  with  little  eflfect  till  the  next  day. 

General  Hull  had  by  this  time  become  so  much  Alarmed 
as  to  betray  his  cowardice  to  his  own  ofliicers  and  men,  hy 
his  appearance  and  his  hasty  and  irregular  measures.  On 
the  12th  the  field  officers  had  determined  to  arrest  him,  and 
were  only  prevented  by  the  absence  of  Colonels  Cass  and 
M'Arthur,  who  had  been  detached  with  400  men  on  a  thirC 
expedition  to  the  river  Raisin.  On  the  15th  they  receiver' 
orders  to  return. 

On  the  16th  the  British  troops  began  to  cross  the  ri\er  tc 
the  American  side  three  miles  below  the  town,  under  eovei 
of  two  ships  of  war.  Having  landed,  they  commenced  theii 
march  towards  the  fort.  Besides  the  fourth  regiment  of  re- 
gular troops  stationed  in  the  fort,  it  was  protected  by  the 
Ohio  volunteers,  and  a  part  of  the  Michigan  militia,  placed 
behind  the  pickets  where  the  whole  flank  of  the  British  would 
have  been  exposed  to  their  fire.  The  remainder  of  the 
militia  were  stationed  in  the  town  of  Detroit,  for  the  purpose 
of  resisting  the  desultory  attacks  of  the  savages.  Two  foui 
pounders,  loaded  with  grape,  were  planted  on  an  eminence 
ready  to  sweep  the  advancing  columns.  M'Arthur  and  Cass, 
on  their  return  from  the  expedition  on  which  they  had  been 
ordered,  had  arrived  within  view  of  Detroit,  and  were  ready 
to  attack  the  enemy  on  the  rear.  There  was  every  reason  to 
anticipate  a  victory,  and  the  troops  were  eagerly  expecting 
die  commencement  of  the  battle. 

When  the  British  columns  were  within  500  yards  of  th« 
American  line.  General  Hull  ordered  the  troops  to  retire  into 
the  fort,  and  the  artillery  not' to  fire.  A  white  flag  was  then 
hoisted,  and  a  British  officer  rode  up  to  inquire  the  cause 
A  communication  was  opened  between  the  commanding  gene- 


What  was  done  oy  General  Brock  on 

the  16th  ? 
By  General  Hull  ? 
What  prevented  his  arrest  ? 
iRThat  was  done  on  the  16th  ? 


What  means  of  defence  had  the  gar 
rison  ? 

What  dispositions  were  made  ? 
What  was  d  me  by  General  Hull  I 


856 


TRIAL  OF  OFNEftAL  HULL 


rals,  which  speedily  terminated  in  a  capitulation.  The  fortresa 
of  Deiioit,  with  the  garrison,  and  munitions  of  war,  were 
surrendered.  The  detachment  under  Cass  and  M'Arthur 
and  even  the  troops  at  the  river  Raisin,  were  included  in  th« 
capitulation.  Captain  Brush,  however,  not  considering  him 
self  bound  by  Hull's  engagement,  on  being  summoned  to 
surrender,  broke  up  his  camp  and  retreated  towards  Ohio 
The  Canadians  who  had  joined  Hull,  or  accepted  his  protec- 
tion, were  abandoned  to  their  fate,  and  many  of  them  were 
subsequently  executed  as  traitors. 

Every  circumstance  which  could  heighten  the  disgrace  ol 
a  surrender  was  found  in  the  present  instance.  Hull  did  no- 
even  call  a  council  of  his  officers.  His  only  object  seems  to 
have  been  to  escape  from  the  Indian  scalping  knife.  When 
he  had  first  entered  Canada  the  British  had  at  Maiden  but  100 
regular  troops,  400  Canadian  militia,  and  a  few  hundred  In- 
dians. After  General  Brock's  arrival,  their  whole  force  was 
330  regulars,  400  militia,,  and  600  Indians.  The  army  sur- 
rendered by  General  Hull  amounted  to  2,500  men,  of  whom 
1,200  were  militia. 

The  indignation  of  the  Americans  at  this  disgraceful  trans- 
action knew  no  bounds.  When  the  arrogant  proclamation  of 
Hull  was  contrasted  with  his  subsequent  indecisive  and  timid 
movements,  and  his  ultimate  abandonment  of  all  manhood  or 
decency,  his  whole  conduct  was  regarded  with  a  unanimous 
feeling  of  derision  and  contempt.  The  government  of  course 
brought  him  to  trial  by  court  martial  as  soon  as  he  was  ex- 
changed. He  was  charged  with  treason,  cowardice,  and 
neglect  of  duty,  found  guilty  of  the  two  latter  charges,  and 
sentenced  to  be  shot.  In  consideration  of  former  services  his 
(ife  was  spared.  The  trial  did  not  take  place  till  1814,  bu' 
it  is  mentioned  in  this  connection,  in  order  that  the  whole 
affair  may  be  dismissed  as  speedily  as  possible  from  the 
reader's  notice. 

The  surrender  of  Hull  left  the  north-western  frontier  ei 
posed  to  the  incursions  of  the  British  and  Indians,  and  occj 
sioned  considerable  alarm  in  the  neighbouring  states.  Near  / 
ten  thousand  volunteers  immediately  offered  their  services  jO 
the  government;  and  being  placed  under  the  command  of 
General  William  H.  Harrison,  marched  towards  the  territory 


What  was  smrendered  ? 
What  is  said  oi  Captain  Brush  ? 
Of  the  Canadians  ? 
What  was  the  British  force  ? 
What  was  General  Hull's  ? 


How  was  his  conduct  regarded  / 

How  was  he  punished  ? 

What  was  now  the  state  of  th  n  yrth^ 

western  frontier  ? 
Who  commanded  the  annj  there  ? 


OBNERAL  8M¥TH'«  OPERATIJNS. 


357 


of  Michigan.  This  force,  however,  was  not  sufliciently  dis- 
ciplined to  act  with  the  efficiency  of  regular  troops,  and  before 
any  thing  could  be  done  towards  retrieving  the  important 
losses  of  the  early  part  of  the  campaign,  the  winter  set  in. 
Their  operations  were  chiefly  confined  to  incursions  into  the 
country  of  the  Indians,  who  had  generally  become  hostile. 

General  Van  Rensselaer,  of  the  New  York  militia,  ha^d 
command  of  what  was  called  the  army  of  the  centre,  destined 
also  for  the  invasion  of  Canada.  His  force  consisted  of  re 
tqrulars  and  militia,  who  were  assembled  at  Lewistown,  on  the 
Kiagara  river.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  was  a  forti- 
fied British  post,  called  Queenstown,  which  was  the  firsi 
object  of  attack.  On  the  13th  of  October  a  detachment  of 
1,000  men,  led  by  Colonel  Van  Rensselaer,  crossed  the  river 
and  eflfected  a  landing  under  a  heavy  fire  from  the  British. 

In  the  onset  the  colonel  was  wounded  ;  and  the  troops 
under  Colonels  Christie  and  Scott  were  led  on  to  the  assaul 
of  the  fortress.  They  succeeded  in  capturing  it ;  and  a 
reinforcement  of  600  men,  under  General  Brock,  arriving  and 
attacking  the  victors,  were  repulsed  with  the  loss  of  their 
commander. 

General  Van  Rensselaer  had  crossed  the  river,  and  now 
returned  to  bring  over  a  reinforcement  of  the  Americans 
But  his  troops  refused  to  obey  the  order ;  and  the  British, 
receiving  another  reinforcement,  recaptured  the  fort  after  a 
severe  engagement,  in  which  the  greater  part  of  Colonel  Van 
Rensselaer's  detachment  was  destroyed. 

General  Van  Rensselaer  now  retired  from  the  service,  and 
was  succeeded  by  General  Smyth,  of  Virginia.  He  com- 
menced operations  by  issuing  a  proclamation  addressed  to  the 
*  men  of  New  York,'  and  couched  in  terms  similar  to  those 
employed  by  General  Hull.  He  was  soon  at  the  head  of  an 
army  of  4,500  men ;  and  the  28th  of  November  was  the  day 
appointed  for  crossing  the  river  for  the  third  invasion  of  Ca- 
nada. The  troops  were  embarked,  but  the  enemy  appearing 
on  the  opposite  shore  with  a  determined  front,  a  council  of 
war  was  held,  and  the  invasion  was  postponed  till  the  1st  of 
December,  when,  although  1,500  of  the  men  were  ready  and 
willing  to  cross  the  river,  a  second  council  of  war  decided 


What  was  done  in  that  quarter  ? 
Who  commanded  the  army  of  the 
centre  ? 

When  did  he  attack  Queenstown  ? 
What  success  did  he  have  in  the  first 
attack? 


Wha*  prevented  his  ultimate  succeit; 

Who  succeeded  General  Van  Rent 
selaer  ? 

Describe  his  operations. 

What  W9.9  done  by  General  Dear- 
born ? 


358 


NAVAL  VICTORIES. 


that  it  was  inexp*..^*ent  to  proceed,  and  the  troops  were  again 
debarked.  The  in*  ^on  of  Canada  at  that  point  wag  thus 
finally  abandoned  for  -  ^  season. 

The  army  of  the  was  commanded  by  General  Dear- 

born. A  part  of  the  forces  were  stationed  at  Greenbush,  neai 
Albany,  and  the  remainder  at  Plattsburg,  on  Lake  Champlain 
This  division  of  the  army  effected  nothing  but  an  incursion 
into  Canada,  in  which  a  small  body  of  British  and  Indians, 
and  some  military  stores  were  taken.  The  failure  of  the 
other  expeditions  had  the  effect  of  discouraging  the  general 
from  any  serious  attempt  on  the  British  territory. 

Thus  upon  land  the  advantages  of  the  first  campaign  rested 
altogether  with  the  British.  It  was  at  sea,  on  the  element 
where  they  felt  more  secure,  that  their  superiority  was  more 
successfully  disputed.  On  the  19th  of  August,  Captain  Hull, 
in  the  frigate  Constitution,  of  44  guns,  encountered  the  British 
frigate  Guerriere,  of  38  guns,  and  after  an  action  of  30  minutes 
reduced  her  to  a  complete  wreck.  Every  mast  of  the  British 
vessel  was  carried  away  in  the  battle,  and,  as  it  was  found 
impossible  to  bring  her  into  port,  she  was  burned.  The  loss 
on  the  side  of  the  enemy  was  50  killed,  and  64  wounded. 
The  Constitution  lost  7  killed,  and  7  wounded.  This  victory 
was  hailed  with  enthusiasm  by  all  parties.  Even  the  oppo- 
nents of  the  war  united  in  the  honours  and  rewards  which 
were  conferred  on  the  successful  commander,  and  gave  enter- 
tainments and  drank  toasts  to  the  success  of  the  '  infant  navy.' 

This  was  followed  by  a  series  of  naval  victories  not  less 
brilliant.  In  the  month  of  October,  Captain  Jones,  in  the 
Wasp,  of  18  guns,  met  and  captured  the  British  sloop  of  war 
Frolic,  of  22  guns,  after  a  hard  fought  battle  of  45  minutes, 
osing  but  8  of  his  men,  while  the  loss  of  his  enemy  in  a 
vessel  one-third  his  superior  was  80  men.  The  Wasp  was 
subsequently  captured  by  a  British  ship  of  the  line.  During 
the  same  month.  Captain  Decatur,  in  the  frigate  United  States, 
encountered  the  British  frigate  Macedonian.  In  this  action 
the  American  ship  had  a  trifling  advantage  in  the  weight  of 
her  metal,  but  this  was  by  no  means  equal  to  the  disparity  of 
loss,  which  was  104  killed  and  wounded  on  the  British  side, 
and  1 1  on  the  American.  The  Macedonian  was  safely  brought 
icto  New  York,  and  the  gallant  Decatur,  the  same  officer  who 
had  so  signally  distinguished  himself  at  Tripoli,  was  welcomed 
with  the  applause  and  honours  which  he  had  so  nobly  won. 

Describe  the  firs :  naval  victory.        I  Of  the  United  States  and  the  Macedo 
Describe  the  af  air  of  the  Wasp  and  nian. 
tbe  Frolic.  j  Decatur's  reception  at  New  Yoik. 


INCREASE  OF  THE  NAVY. 


359 


At  the  close  of  the  year  the  American  arras  gained  another 
triumph  on  the  ocean.  On  the  29th  of  December,  1812,  the 
Constitution  (familiarly  called  Old  Ironsides^'),  Captain 
William  Bainbridge,  while  cruising  off  the  coast  of  Brazil, 
encountered  the  British  frigate  Java  of  49  gnns,  commanded 
by  Captain  Henry  Lambert.  A  spirited  action  ensued. 
For  more  than  an  hour  the  two  vessels  manoeuvred^  each 
endeavoring  to  gain  a  position  to  rake  the  other_,  both  keep- 
ing up  a  well-delivered  fire.  The  Java  bravely  endeavored 
to  run  the  Constitution  down,  but  was  badly  injured,  raked, 
and  so  cut  up  that  her  foremast  went  overboard.  She  kept 
up  the  fight,  however,  till  her  topmasts  were  cut  away  and 
her  mainmast  and  foremast  also  fell,  leaving  her  a  complete 
wreck.  The  Constitution  had  suffered  severely,  and  sus- 
pended her  fire  to  make  necessary  repairs  ;  but  the  Java,  with 
•her  commander  mortally  wounded,  was  in  a  hopeless  condi- 
tion, so  that  when  the  Constitution,  having  repaired  her 
damages,  bore  down  to  renew  the  battle,  the  Java  struck^ 
having  23  killed  and  102  wounded. 

Captain  Bainbridge  found  his  prize  so  terribly  cut  up,  that 
he  determined  to  destroy  her,  and  she  was  blown  up. 

In  addition  to  these  victories  of  the  public  vessels,  the  Ame- 
rican privateers  had  succeeded  in  severely  distressing  the 
enemy's  commerce,  capturing  above  500  of  their  merchantmen 
during  the  first  seven  months  of  the  war. 

The  success  of  the  Americans  on  the  ocean  served  to  re 
lieve  them  from  the  chagrin  and  discouragement  occasioned 
by  their  ill-fated  attempts  on  the  British  province  of  Canada. 
They  became  sensible  that  their  principal  means  of  defence 
must  consist  in  the  navy;  and  the  exertions  of  the  government 
were  immediately  directed  to  the  increase  of  this  efliicient 
branch  of  the  national  force.  The  large  number  of  sailors,  de- 
prived of  employment  by  the  general  suspension  of  commerce, 
furnished  the  first  and  most  important  requisite,  and  more 
ships  were  ordered  to  be  built  and  put  in  commission. 

Meantime  the  opposition  to  the  measures  of  government 
made  by  the  federal  party  in  New  England,  was  by  no  means 
relaxed.  They  criticised  and  protested  against  the  war  with 
England,  pointed  out  the  advantages  which  would  have  ao- 
crrsd  from  one  with  France,  declared  their  abhorrence  of  any 
alliance  with  Napoleon,  reprobated  the  conduct  of  government 


Of  the  Constitution  and  the  Java. 
W^hat  was  the  consequence  of  these 
Tictoriet  ? 


What  measures  were  taken  respect' 

ing  the  navy  ? 
What  was  done  in  New  England  ? 


360 


ARMISTICE  OFFERED. 


in  persisting  in  war  after  the  revocation  of  the  orders  in  council 
and  asserted  it  to  be  unconstitutional  and  illegal  to  employ  the 
militia  of  the  states  in  offensive  warfare.  On  the  last  ground 
Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  had  refused  to  furnish  their 
contingent  of  troops  for  the  invasion  of  Canada.  The  friends 
of  government  stigmatised  this  opposition  as  treason,  and  by 
their  votes  at  the  election  gave  decided  testimony  of  their 
approbation  of  the  war. 

The  presidential  election  took  place  in  the  autumn  of  this 
year.  Mr.  Madison  was,  without  difficulty,  re-elected  to  hii 
second  term  of  office ;  whilst  Mr.  Gerry  became  vice-presi- 
dent, succeeding  Mr.  Clinton. 

In  November  congress  met.  The  president,  in  his  message, 
frankly  stated  the  defeats  experienced  on  the  Canadian  border, 
and  complained  much  of  the  employment  of  the  Indians  by 
the  British,  thus  bringing  the  horrors  of  savage  warfare  upon 
the  people.  He  also  complained  of  the  conduct  of  Massa- 
chusetts and  Connecticut,  in  refusing  their  contingent  of 
militia.  The  victories  of  American  ships  were  cited  with 
just  pride,  and  congress  was  requested  to  increase  the  allow- 
ance of  tlie  army,  which  was  wholly  incompetent. 

The  British  government  had  offered  an  armistice,  stating  as 
a  reason  for  a  suspension  of  hostilities,  the  repeal  of  the 
orders  in  council.  The  president,  in  reply,  had  demanded 
by  way  of  preliminary,  towards  a  settlement  of  difficulties, 
some  effectual  provisions  against  the  impressment  of  American 
seamen,  and  as  this  was  refused,  he  had  declined  the  offer 
A  majority  of  congress  now  passed  resolutions  approving  ol 
the  president's  course  in  this  affair. 

His  request  for  a  more  efficient  organisation  of  the  armjf 
was  granted.  The  pay  was  increased,  and  a  loan  for  the  pur- 
pose authorised ;  and  twenty  additional  regiments  of  regula/ 
infantry  were  ordered  to  be  raised. 


Whav  was  the  result  of  tLe  presi- 
dential election  ? 

WhiX  was  said  in  ht  president's 
meMage  ? 


What  measure  of  his  was  approved  hf 

congress  ? 
What  was  done  for  the  army  } 


BATTLB  OF  THE  RSVER  RAI8IM 


Ml 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII 

CAMPAIGN  OF  1813. 

Thb  people  of  the  western  states  were  naturally  anxioufi  to 
recover  the  posts  which  had  been  lost  by  General  Hull  on  the 
north-western  frontier;  and  thus  to  relieve  themselves  from 
the  danger  of  incursions  from  the  British  and  Indians  in  that 
region.  During  the  autumn  of  1812,  General  Harrison,  who 
had  command  of  the  army  in  that  quarter,  was  principally 
occupied  in  collecting  and  organising  his  forces  preparatory  to 
a  winter  campaign.  Nothing  of  importance  was  effected,  as 
we  have  already  had  occasion  to  remark,  before  the  winter 
set  in. 

General  Winchester,  with  a  detachment  of  seven  hundred 
and  fifty  men,  was  sent  forward  in  advance  of  the  main  body, 
and  while  General  Harrison  was  collecting  his  forces  at  San- 
dusky, with  a  view  to  join  Winchester,  and  advance  upon 
Maiden  and  Detroit,  the  latter  officer  received  a  pressing  call 
from  the  inhabitants  of  Frenchtown,  on  the  river  Raisin,  for 
protection  against  the  British  and  Indians  assembled  at  Mal» 
den.  Advancing  within  three  miles  of  the  town,  on  the  17th 
of  January,  he  learnt  that  the  enemy  had  already  taken  pos- 
session of  it.  He  attacked  them  on  the  1 8th,  and  drove  them 
from  their  position  with  considerable  slaughter.  On  the  20th 
he  advanced  to  within  twenty  miles  of  Maiden,  where  a  Bri- 
tish force  much  stronger  than  his  own  was  stationed. 

General  Winchester's  desire  to  afford  relief  to  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Frenchtown,  had  thus  brought  his  detachment  into  a 
situation  of  no  little  peril.  The  expedition  in  which  he  was 
engaged  had  been  undertaken  without  the  knowledge  of 
General  Harrison,  who,  on  learning  his  advance,  sent  for  re- 
inforcements, and  pushed  forward  with  the  main  body  in 
hopes  of  affording  him  relief. 

The  British  were  not  slow  to  perceive  their  advantage. 
On  the  evening  of  the  21st  of  Januarj ,  Colonel  Proctor  left 
Maiden  with  six  hundred  British  and  Canadian  truops,  and 
one  thousand  Indians,  under  the  command  of  their  chiefs 
Splitlog  and  Roundhead,  and  at  daybreak  of  the  22d,  com- 


Who  commanded  on       north-west-   Where  did  he  attack  and  defeat  th« 

em  frontier  ?  British  ? 

Who  advanced  into  Canada  f  When  was  he  attacked  in  turn  ? 

By  whom»  and  with  what  force  f 

n 


362 


8IE0B  OF  FORT  MEI08. 


menced  a  furious  attack  upon  the  Americans.  General  Win 
Chester's  left  wing,  amounting  to  six  hundred  men,  wai 
protected  by  pickets ;  the  right  wing,  one  hundred  and  fifty 
in  number,  being  exposed,  was  speedily  defeated,  and  nearly 
the  whole  massacred  by  the  Indians,  who  cut  off  their  retreat. 
A  detachment  of  one  hundred  sent  out  to  their  relief  shared 
the  same  fate.  General  Winchester  and  Colonel  Lewis  in 
attempting  to  rally  them  were  made  prisoners.  The  left  wing 
sustained  the  unequal  contest  with  undaunted  valour  until 
eleven  o'clock,  when  General  Winchester  capitulated  for 
them,  stipulating  for  their  protection  from  the  fury  of  the 
Indians.  This  engagement  was  violated  on  the  next  day, 
when  a  large  body  of  Indians  fell  upon  the  wounded,  toma- 
hawked and  scalped  them,  and  setting  fire  to  the  houses, 
consumed  the  dead  and  the  dying  in  one  undistinguished  con- 
flagration. In  permitting  this  massacre.  Proctor  seems  to 
have  counted  on  daunting  the  courage  of  the  Americans. 
But  the  effect  was  directly  the  reverse  of  what  was  intended 
New  volunteers,  fired  by  these  barbarities,  flocked  to  the 
standard  of  their  country,  and  were  eventually  successful  in 
avenging  their  murdered  fellow  citizens. 

General  Harrison,  having  received  considerable  reinforce- 
ments from  Kentucky  and  Ohio,  advanced  to  the  rapids  of 
the  Miami,  and  there  erected  a  fort  which  he  called  Fort 
Meigs,  in  honour  of  the  governor  of  Ohio.  This  position  had 
been  selected  as  a  suitable  post  for  receiving  reinforcements 
and  supplies  from  Ohio  and  Kentucky,  protecting  the  borders 
of  Lake  Erie,  and  concentrating  the  forces  intended  for  the 
recapture  of  Detroit,  and  the  invasion  of  Canada. 

On  the  26th  of  April,  General  Proctor  with  two  thousand 
regulars,  militia  and  Indians,  from  Maiden,  appeared  on  the 
oank  of  the  river  opposite  the  fort,  and  erecting  batteries  on  an 
eminence,  commenced  a  regular  siege.  The  Indians  crossed 
the  river  on  the  27th  and  established  themselves  in  the  rear  of 
the  American  lines.  A  heavy  fire  of  shot  and  shells  wa« 
poured  in  upon  the  fort  for  several  diys,  and  on  the  3d  of 
May,  a  battery  was  erected  on  the  left  bank  of  the  ri^er, 
within  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  the  American  lines. 

General  Harrison  now  received  a  summons  to  surrender 
Wiiich  was  gallantly  refused.    On  the  5th  of  May,  General 


Describe  the  battle. 
What  wa«  the  result  ? 
How  were  the  prisoners  treated  ? 
What  was  the  effect  3f  this  conduct 
of  the  British  ? 


What  fort  did  General  Hairiioi 

erect  ? 
Where  ? 

When  and  by  whom  was  it  betfefK 


8IEOE  OF   FORT  MEIGS  RAISED. 


369 


Clay,  with  twelve  hundred  Kentuckians,  advanceu  to  the 
relief  of  Fort  Meigs,  and,  by  a  spirited  attack,  succeeded  in 
driving  the  besiegers  from  their  works.  Eight  hundred  of 
his  troops  having  subsequently  dispersed  in  the  woods,  in 
pursuit  of  the  Indians,  were  drawn  into  an  ambuscade,  and 
compelled  to  surrender.  They  were  saved  from  massacra 
only  by  the  decisive  interference  of  the  Indian  chief  Tecura- 
8eh,  whn  humanely  restrained  his  followers  from  their  usual 
atrocities.  Of  the  eight  hundred  men  only  one  hundred  and 
fifty  escaped,  the  remainder  being  slain  or  captured.  General 
Proctor,  seeing  no  prospect  of  taking  the  fort,  and  being  de- 
serted by  his  Indian  allies,  who  were  heartily  weary  of  the 
wege,  abandoned  his  position  on  the  9th  of  May,  and  returned 
to  Maiden.  General  Harrison  having  repaired  the  fort,  lef 
it  under  command  of  General  Clay,  and  returned  to  Ohio  foi 
reinforcements.  Nothing  further  was  attempted  in  this  quartet 
antil  a  naval  force  was  ready  for  action  on  Lake  Erie. 

The  principal  object  of  the  campaign  of  1813,  on  the  Ca- 
nadian border,  was  the  capture  of  Montreal.  To  effect  this, 
it  was  essential  to  gain  the  command  of  Lake  Ontario. 
Sackett's  Harbour,  on  the  east  end  of  the  lake,  near  its  outlet, 
was  selected  as  a  naval  depot ;  and  Commodore  Chauncey 
had  been  occupied  since  the  month  of  October,  1812,  in 
building  and  equipping  a  squadron  sufficiently  powerful  to 
cope  with  that  of  the  enemy,  which  consisted  of  six  vessels, 
mounting  in  all  eighty  guns.  In  this  he  was  successful ;  and 
having  made  several  captures  in  the  autumn  of  1812,  he  was 
enabled,  in  the  spring  of  the  next  year,  to  acquire  the  com- 
plete ascendancy  on  the  lake,  confining  every  British  ship  to 
the  harbour  of  Kingston. 

General  Dearborn  had  now  under  his  command  a  respect- 
able force  of  six  thousand  men,  composing  the  Tirmy  of  the 
north ;  and  as  Montreal  was  in  a  comparatively  defencelesi 
Btate,  and  could  receive  no  reinforcements  until  June,  it  was 
his  proper  policy  to  have  made  an  immediate  descent  upoa 
that  city.  Unfortunately  his  exertions  were  directed  to  a 
much  less  important  object.  On  the  23d  of  April  he  em- 
barked at  Sackett's  Harbour  with  sixteen  hundred  men,  on  ar% 
expedition  against  York,  the  capital  of  Upper  Canada,  situatea 


Who  advanced  to  its  relief  ? 
^hat  success  had  General  Clay  f 
What  disaster  followed  ? 
When  was  the  siege  raised  ? 
What  was  the  chief  object  of  the 
campaign  of  !813/ 


What  preparation  was  made  by  Com- 
modore Chauncey  ? 
What  was  General  Dearborn's  fierce  ^ 
What  place  should  he  have  attacked' 
What  place  did  he  attack  / 


364 


ATTACK  ON  SAGKETT's  HARBOUR 


at  the  nead  of  Lake  Ontario.  On  the  27th  he  arrived  at  hit 
destination,  and  immediately  commenced  a  disembarkation. 
Remaining  on  board  the  fleet,  he  entrusted  the  command  to 
General  Pike,  who  succeeded  in  landing,  though  opposed  by 
a  superior  force  of  the  enemy,  who,  after  a  severe  action, 
were  driven  to  their  fortifications.  The  remainder  of  the 
forces  having  effected  a  landing,  the  whole  army  advanced  U 
<he  assault,  carried  the  first  battery,  and  was  approaching  the 
ttiain  works,  when  a  magazine  of  the  British,  prepared  for  the 
purpose,  blew  up  with  a  tremendous  explosion,  destroying 
one  hundred  of  the  assailants.  General  Pike  was  mortally 
wounded  by  a  stone  which  was  thrown  up  by  the  explosion 
and  struck  him  on  the  breast. 

He  was  immediately  conveyed  on  board  the  commodore' 
ship,  and  soon  expired.  The  troops  paused  a  few  moments 
at  this  unexpected  catastrophe,  but  soon  pressed  forwara 
and  gained  the  possession  of  the  town.  The  government  hall 
was  burned,  contrary  to  the  orders  of  the  American  general. 
The  British  lost  100  killed,  and  600  wounded  and  prisoners. 
The  Americans,  320  killed  and  wounded.  The  object  of  the 
expedition  being  attained,  the  fleet  proceeded  to  Niagara, 
landed  the  troops,  and  returned  to  Sackett's  Harbour. 

On  embarking  for  York,  General  Dearborn  had  left  Sackett'f 
Harbour  in  rather  a  defenceless  state.  It  was  consequently 
attacked  on  the  29th  of  May,  by  the  combined  land  and  naval 
jorces  of  the  British,  under  Sir  George  Prevost  and  Sir  Jamea 
Yeo.  General  Brown,  of  the  New  York  militia,  had  the 
chief  command  at  the  harbour.  He  detached  Colonel  Mills, 
with  the  militia  and  Albany  volunteers,  to  oppose  the  enemy's 
landing.  On  their  approach,  the  militia  fired,  without  orders, 
and  too  soon  to  produce  any  eflFect,  and  then  fled.  Colonel 
Mills  was  slain  in  attempting  to  rally  them.  General  Brown 
succeeded  in  rallying  about  100,  and  fell  upon  the  enemy' 
rear.  The  British  advanced  towards  the  village,  and  encoun- 
tering Colonel  Backus,  with  the  regular  troops  and  a  few 
militia,  after  a  severe  action  were  repulsed  and  driven  to  their 
boats.  Lieutenant  Chauncey,  who  had  been  ordered  to  set 
fire  to  the  store  houses  and  barracks  in  case  of  defeat,  antici- 
pated that  result,  and  thus  caused  the  loss  of  the  supphei 
which  were  essential  to  the  success  of  the  campaign.  Gene 


Describe  the  aeciOD. 

The  death  of  General  Pike. 

What  foHowed  ? 

iVhat  place  had  Dearborn  left  ex- 


When  was  it  attacked  by  GoTem 

Prevost  ? 
Describe  the  action. 
What  was  the  nsmilt  i 


01fEl&AflOJ^|S|  Oir  fH£  NIAGARA  PIlONTIfiR. 


365 


ral  Brown,  in  consequence  of  his  meritorious  services  on  this 
occasion,  was  appointed  a  brigadier-general  in  the  regular 
arnay. 

While  these  events  were  passing  at  Sackett's  Harbour, 
operations  of  some  importance  were  taking  place  at  the  head 
of  the  lake.  On  the  27th  of  Mav,  Generals  Dearborn  and 
Lewis,  with  about  6,000  men,  embarked  on  a  flotilla  and 
effected  a  landing  after  a  brief  but  vigorous  contest.  They 
then  moved  on  the  main  force  of  the  enemy,  which  was  well 
posted  on  a  precipitous  bank.  Though  driven  back  three 
times.  Colonel  Winfield  Scott,  leading  the  advance,  carried 
the  position,  and  pushed  on  to  Fort  George.  The  English 
commander,  Brigadier-General  Vincent,  however,  abandoned 
Fort  Erie  and  Chippewa,  and  ordered  the  garrison  of  Fort 
George  to  fire  the  magazine  and  retire.  Unaware  of  this 
order,  and  expecting  to  find  the  enemy  behind  the  ramparts 
the  Americans  pushed  on.  As  Colonel  Scott  reached  the  fort 
it  exploded,  and  though  badly  injured  he  entered  the  works, 
lowered  the  English  flag  and  raised  that  of  the  United  States. 
In  pursuance  of  General  Vincent's  orders  the  garrison  also 
at  Erie  abandoned  that  fort  to  the  Americans,  and  concentrat- 
ed their  forces  with  those  of  the  other  British  garrisons  on 
the  Niagara  peninsula,  beyond  Burlington  heights,  about  40 
miles  west  of  Fort  George.  Generals  Chandler  and  Winder 
were  detached  from  Fort  George  with  1,000  men  to  attack 
them.  They  were  met  and  repulsed,  with  -the  loss  of  both 
these  officers  captured ;  and  Sir  James  Yeo,  arriving  with 
his  fleet,  relieved  the  British,  and  compelled  the  Americans 
to  return  to  the  main  army,  with  the  loss  of  most  of  their 
artillery  and  baggage.  A  detachment  of  570  men,  under 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Boerstler,  being  sent  soon  after  to  attack 
a  body  of  the  enemy  at  Beaver  Dams,  was  surrounded  and 
captured. 

A  second  expedition,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Scott, 
was  sent  against  the  British  post  on  Burlington  heights,  on 
the  28th  of  July.  The  landing  took  place  on  the  31st;  but 
on  reconnoitering  the  enemy's  works,  they  were  deemed  too 
Btrong  to  be  attacked  with  any  prospect  of  success,  and  the 
troops  were  immediately  re-embarked.  On  their  return  they 
put  into  York,  burnt  the  barracks  and  public  stores,  and 
brought  oflT  one  piece  of  ordnance  and  a  quantity  of  flour. 

What  foit  was  taken  on  the  27tli  of  Who  were  sent  against  them  ? 

May  ?  With  what  success  } 

What  was  done  by  the  Br^*»sh  on  the  What  other  disaster  took  place  f 

fSkih  I  What  unsuccessful  expedition  / 


466 


EXPEDITION  AGAINST  MONTREAL^ 


During  the  time  occupied  by  these  operations,  the  British 
had  prepared  a  llotilla,  superior  to  that  of  the  Americans 
which  enabled  them  to  turn  the  advantage  on  Lake  Ontario 
in  their  own  favour.  On  the  7th  of  October,  Sir  James  Yeo 
appeared  with  his  fleet  before  Fort  George,  where  Commo* 
dore  Chauncey  lay  at  anchor  with  his  squadron.  He  imme- 
diately went  out,  and  in  a  gale  which  happened  on  the  nighl 
of  the  8th,  lost  two  of  his  schooners,  with  a  greater  part  of 
their  crews.  On  the  10th,  an  action  took  place  in  which  two 
of  the  American  schooners  were  taken.  The  fleets  then  se- 
parated, neither  party  being  willing  to  come  to  a  decisive 
contest. 

Thus  terminated  the  operations  of  the  American  forces  on 
Lake  Ontario,  under  the  direction  of  General  Dearborn.  No- 
thing had  been  effected  towards  the  successful  termination  of 
the  campaign  ;  heavy  losses  had  been  sustained,  and  the  only 
favourable  opportunity  for  a  descent  on  Montreal  had  been 
suflfered  to  escape.  The  general  had  been  most  of  the  time 
an  invalid,  and  had  never  appeared  to  lead  his  troops  on  an^ 
expedition.  He  was  now  superseded,  and  General  Wilkinson 
called  from  the  south  to  take  his  place. 

General  Wilkinson  arrived  at  Sackett's  Harbour  on  the  1st 
of  August ;  the  war  department,  under  the  direction  of  Gene- 
ral Armstrong,  was  removed  to  that  place,  and  extensive  pre- 
parations were  commenced  for  a  descent  on  Montreal.  The 
army  consisted  of  8,000  men,  but  a  period  of  three  months 
elapsed  before  they  w^re  ready  to  descend  the  St.  Lawrence 
on  the  expedition.  This  enabled  the  enemy  to  fortify  every 
important  point  on  the  river ;  and  when,  on  the  5th  of  No- 
vember, the  flotilla  set  sail,  their  progress  was  disputed  sc 
obstinately,  that  it  was  found  necessary  to  land  a  body  of 
troops,  under  the  command  of  General  Brown,  who  proceeded 
m  advance  of  the  boats,  to  dislodge  the  enemy  from  his  post« 
on  the  river.  The  rear  division,  under  General  Boyd,  en 
countered  a  party  of  equal  force  at  Chrystler's  fields,  neai 
Williamsburg,  on  the  10th  of  November.  A  spirited  actioQ 
ensued,  in  which  the  Americans,  with  considerable  loss,  sue 
ceeded  in  driving  the  British  from  their  position,  and  enabling 
Ihe  flotilla  to  pass  unmolested. 


What  was  done  on  the  lake  ? 

What  was  the  result  of  General  Dear- 
hern's  operations  ? 

Who  took  bis  place  ? 

What  city  did  he  undertake  to  cap- 
ture f 


How  much  time  was  lost  io  prepm 

tion  ? 

What  was  the  consequence  f 
What  wa<»  found  to  be  necewaij  ? 
What  was  tne  result  of  General  Bojd> 
encounter  with  the  British  f 


CRUEL  WARFARE  ON  THE  BORDER. 


307 


On  the  lllh,  General  Wilkinson  with  the  main  body, 
arrived  at  St.  Regis,  where  General  Hampton,  with  an  ad- 
ditional force,  had  been  ordered  to  meet  him  for  the  purpose  of 
co-operating  in  the  proposed  descent  on  Montreal.  Instead 
of  obeying  the  order,  Hampton  sent  a  communication  to  his 
commander,  informing  him  that  in  consequence  of  the  sickly 
gtate  of  his  troops,  the  want  of  provisions,  <fec.  he  had  thought 
proper  to  fall  back  on  his  main  depot  at  Plattsburg,  for  th© 
purpose  of  keeping  open  a  communication  with  the  St.  Law- 
rence, and  thus  contributing  to  the  success  of  the  main  object. 
In  consequence  of  this  strange  proceeding  of  General  Hampton, 
the  expedition  was  abandoned,  and  General  Wilkinson's  army 
retired  to  French  Mills,  and  went  into  winter  quarters. 

The  disappointment  and  chagrin  of  the  nation  at  the  failure  • 
of  this  attempt  was  proportioned  to  the  extensive  preparations 
and  the  sanguine  hopes  with  which  it  had  been  undertaken. 
The  whole  fault  was  respectively  charged  upon  the  war  de- 
partment, the  commanding  general  and  his  recusant  subaltern ; 
but  it  was  easy  to  perceive,  that  if  either  had  possessed  a 
tolerable  share  of  decision  and  energy,  the  expedition  would 
have  been  attended  with  a  very  different  result. 

Before  restoring  his  department  to  its  only  proper  position, 
the  capital,  the  secretary  of  war,  General  Armstrong,  had 
issued  an  order  to  General  M*Clure,  commanding  at  Fort 
George,  to  destroy  the  British  town  of  Newark,  situated  in 
its  vicinity.  This  order  was  punctually  complied  with  on  the 
1 0th  of  December,  and  about  500  unoffending  and  innocent 
people  were  thus  lendered  houseless,  and  compelled  in  the 
midst  of  a  Canadian  winter  to  seek  shelter  from  the  charity 
of  their  friends. 

This  act,  and  the  burnmg  of  York,  was  most  severely  re 
t^liated  by  the  British,  who,  when  General  M'Clure  subse- 
quently retreated,  and  Fort  Niagara  was  lost,  passed  over  to 
the  American  side  of  the  river,  burnt  Niagara  and  Lewistown, 
and  laid  waste  all  the  other  flourishing  villages  and  settlements 
on  the  Niagara  between  the  lakes.  Indeed  these  unnecessary 
acts  of  aggression  on  the  Canada  borderers,  were  afterwards 
alleged  in  justification  of  every  similar  proceeding  on  the 
part  of  the  enemy. 

Although  the  British  were  so  deeply  sensible  of  the  injus- 
tice and  cruelty  of  this  mode  of  warfare  when  practised  upofl 


What  was  done  by  General  Hampton  ?  |  Who  was  in  fault? 
What  was  the  result  oi  the  expedi-   What  was  done  by  General  M^Cluie  f 
tkm  f  I  What  was  the  ccniequeuce  f 


368 


BRITISH  RAVAGES  ON  THE  SEA  COAST. 


their  own  people,  they  had  been  beforehand  with  the  Ameri- 
cans in  its  commencement.  Having  declared  a  blockade  of 
the  ports  and  harbours  on  the  Chesapeake  and  Delaware  bays, 
in  December,  1812,  they  extended  it  on  the  following  May  to 
New  York,  and  all  the  southern  ports.  A  squadron  of  foui 
ships  of  the  line,  and  six  frigates,  under  Admiral  Cockburn, 
arrived  in  the  Chesapeake  early  in  March,  and  three  seventy- 
fours,  and  several  smaller  vessels  under  Commodore  Beresford 
arrived  in  the  Delaware  about  the  same  time.  On  the  16th  of 
March,  a  demand  was  made  on  the  inhabitants  of  Lewistown 
on  the  Delaware,  for  supplies,  which  was  promptly  refused. 
The  demand  being  again  made  and  again  refused,  the  British 
commenced  a  bombardment  of  the  town  on  the  6th  of  April 
They  subsequently  attempted  to  land  at  two  different  plaoea 
on  the  river,  but  being  met  at  the  water's  edge  and  driven 
back,  they  abandoned  the  river,  after  burning  some  merchant 
vessels,  and  sailed  for  Bermuda. 

Admiral  Cockburn  pursued  a  similar  system  of  warfare  on 
the  Chesapeake.  The  plantations,  farms  and  gentlemen's 
seats  on  the  shore  were  plundered.  The  villages  of  French- 
town,  Havre  de  Grace,  Fredericktown  and  Georgetown  were 
plundered  and  burnt ;  and  Norfolk  and  the  villages  in  its  im- 
mediate neighbourhood  were  only  saved  from  destruction  by 
the  spirited  resistance  of  the  inhabitants,  assisted  by  some 
marmes  and  sailors  from  the  Constellation  frigate  and  a  few 
gun  boats  in  the  harbour,  who  manned  a  battery  on  Craney 
island,  sunk  several  of  the  British  barges,  and  drove  the  re- 
mainder back  to  their  ships. 

The  village  of  Hampton,  18  mih%«»  from  Norfolk,  was  de- 
fended by  about  450  militia,  against  ^  British  flotilla,  with 
bombs  and  rockets,  commanded  by  Admiral  Cockburn;  out 
Sir  Sidney  Beckwith  coming  to  the  assistance  of  the  admiral, 
with  2,000  men,  succeeded  in  capturing  the  place,  which  was 
forthwith  abandoned  to  the  soldiery,  who  perpetrated  outrages 
on  the  inhabitants,  which  would  have  disgraced  the  darkest 
ages  of  barbarism. 

After  this  great  victory  and  triumph,  AdmTal  Cockburn, 
•ailed  with  his  squadron  up  the  Potoma?,  to  within  70  miles 
of  Washington  ;  but  finding  the  fortifications  on  the  river  in  a 
good  state  of  defence,  he  retired.    He  nsxi  proceeded  up  th« 


VThai  nsTfti  afWtnuiti  wtjre  sent  out 

b}  the  British  ? 
Who  uombard*»d  Lewistown  ?  Why  ? 
What  was  done  by  Admiral  GickbofB? 


Whal        \      at  iJampton  f 

Wha    tvin^xifi Mm  >  next  exploits  - 


AFFAIR  OF  THE  HORKSt  ANt)  PEACOCK.  3^8 


bay  and  threatened  Annapolis  and  Baltimore  ;  I:ut  not  deem 
ing  it  prudent  to  attack  those  places,  he  proceeded  to  the 
south,  pursuing  his  system  of  plunder  and  devastation  on  the 
•oast  of  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia. 

These  outrages,  which  were  intended  to  render  the  war 
unpopular  with  the  Americans,  had  a  directly  contrary  effect, 
infusing  new  spirit  and  energy  into  their  subsequent  opera- 
dons,  and  giving  a  tone  to- the  public  feeling,  which  was  the 
only  requisite  hitherto  wanting  towards  the  successful  con- 
duct of  the  war. 

The  blockade  of  the  northern  ports  fell  into  better  hands 
Commodore  Hardy,  who  commanded  the  squadron,  which 
blockaded  New  London,  and  held  the  frigates  United  States 
and  Macedonian  in  a  state  of  inaction  there  during  the  latter 
period  of  the  war,  conducted  hi€  operations  in  a  spirit  of  com- 
parative forbearance  and  humanity.  His  chivalry,  however, 
was  not  so  generous  as  to  permit  his  acceptance  of  the  chal- 
lenge from  the  commanders  of  those  frigates,  offering  to  meet 
the  Endymion  and  Statira,  ships  of  the  blockading  squadron, 
of  equal  force.  The  uniform  result  of  previous  meetings  of 
this  kind  was  too  ominous  of  disgrace  to  the  British  arms. 

The  success  of  the  Americans  in  their  naval  encounters 
with  the  enemy  was  not  less  remarkable  than  it  had  been 
during  the  preceding  year.  On  the  24th  of  February,  Cap- 
tain Lawrence,  in  the  sloop  of  war  Hornet,  fell  in  with  the 
brig  of  war  Peacock,  and  after  a  close  action  of  fifteen  minutes, 
compelled  her  to  strike  her  colours  and  hoist  a  signal  of  dis- 
tress. The  firing  of  the  Hornet  instantly  ceased,  and  the 
boats  were  hoisted  out  for  the  purpose  of  saving  the  British 
crew,  as  the  vessel  was  in  a  sinking  state.  In  spite  of  the 
most  active  exertions  on  the  part  of  their  generous  enemies, 
thirteen  of  the  British  went  down  with  the  ship,  and  four  of 
the  Hornet's  crew,  who  were  rendering  assistance,  suffered 
the  same  fate.* 

On  his  return  to  the  United  States,  Captain  Lawrence  wa» 
promoted  to  the  command  of  the  frigate  Chesapeake-  then 
lying  in  Boston  harbour.    Soon  after  taking  command  of  his 


What  was  the  effect  of  these  outrages  ?  j  Describe  the  affair  of  the  Hornet  and 
'iVbat  is  said  of  Commodore  Hardy  ?  |  Peacock. 


•  The  alacrity  of  the  Americans  in  sinking  ships  seems  to  have  occasioned 
considerable  surprise  and  vexation  on  the  part  of  the  British.  The  Halilax 
papers  remark  in  relation  to  this  action,  If  a  vessel  had  been  moored  for  the 
•ole  purpose  of  expermient,  it  is  not  probable  that  she  could  have  been  sunV 
(B  to  fbort  a  time.   It  will  not    for  our  vessels  to  fight  theirs  sin^^le  handed 


370 


CAPTAIN  aLLEV. 


^hip,  Lawrence  received  a  challenge  from  Captain  Brooke,  oi 
the  British  frigate  Shannon,  to  meet  him  in  single  combat, 
ghip  to  ship,  engaging  thai  the  Tenedos,  which  was  then 
blockading  Boston,  in  company  with  the  Shannon,  should  be 
out  of  the  way  during  the  action.  The  challenge  was 
promptly  accepted.  The  ships  met;  the  Chesapeake  waa 
taken,  and  the  gallant  Lawrence,  with  his  lieutenant,  Ludlow, 
fell  in  the  action.  These  frigates  were  nearly  equal  in  weighi 
of  metal,  the  Shannon  mounting  fifty-two  guns  and  the  Chesa- 
peake forty-eight;  but  the  latter  undoubtedly  laboured  under 
great  disadvantages  in  the  undisciplined  and  half  intoxicated 
state  of  the  crew,  just  out  of  port.  Her  capture,  however, 
was  a  source  of  unbounded  exultation  to  the  British. 

In  May,  1813,  Captain  Allen,  in  the  brig  Argus,  having 
conveyed  Mr.  Crawford,  the  American  ambassador  to  France, 
began  a  cruise  in  the  British  channel,  during  which  he  cap- 
tured and  destroyed  British  vessels  and  cargoes  to  the  amount 
of  two  millions  of  dollars.  He  was  then  assailed  by  the 
Pelican  sloop  of  war,  of  twenty  guns,  and  sustained  a  severe 
action  of  forty-ihree  minutes,  when  the  British  frigate  Sea 
Horse  heaving  in  sight,  the  Argus  struck.  Captain  Allen 
'Was  mortally  wounded  during  the  engagement. 

In  September,  the  United  States  brig  Enterprise  encoun- 
tered the  British  brig  Boxer  off  the  coast  of  Maine,  and  after 
an  action  of  forty-five  minutes  compelled  her  to  surrender 
Both  the  commanders  fell  in  the  action,  and  were  burip 
together,  with  military  honours,  in  Portland.  The  Boxer 
was  superior  to  her  antagonist  in  tonnage,  men  and  guns. 
She  lost  twenty -five  killed,  and  fourteen  wounded ;  while 
the  Enterprise  lost  four  killed,  and  eleven  wounded. 

The  British  had  employed  the  Indians  as  allies  from  the 
commencement  of  the  war,  and  had  rather  encouraged  than 
repressed  their  propensity  to  use  their  prisoners  in  the  most 
barbarous  manner.  It  was  not  till  the  summer  of  this  year 
that  the  Six  Nations  declared  war  against  England,  and  united 
their  arms  with  those  of  the  United  States.  In  accepting 
their  aid,  it  was  made  a  strict  condition,  that  they  should  treat 
their  :iptives  according  to  the  usage  of  civilised  nations,  and 
when  a  party  of  them,  assisted  by  the  militia,  routed  the 
enemy  near  fort  George,  the  prisoners  being  committed  to 
their  charge,  were  treated  with  the  greatest  humanity ;  thus 


If  the  Chesapeake  and  Shannon. 
What  is  said  of  the  Ar^s's  cruise  ? 
t>e8cribe  the  action  of  the  En|erprise 
and  Boxer. 


Who  became  aUies  of  the  Unitvtf 

States  ? 
How  did  they  Dehave  ? 


DEFENLIE  OF  FOPT  STEPHEIVSON. 


371 


eompletely  exploding  the  apology  set  iip  by  the  British 
officers,  that  they  could  not  controul  their  allies. 

The  events  on  the  north-western  frontier  were  now  assuming 
an  interesting  character.  Both  the  British  and  Americans 
were  strenuously  engaged  in  preparing  a  naval  force  to  be 
employed  on  Lake  Erie ;  and  at  the  same  time  an  attempt 
was  made  on  Forts  Stephenson  and  Meigs,  by  General  Proc- 
tor, with  a  large  force  of  British  and  Indians.  Towards  the 
ast  of  July,  the  enemy  appeared  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Fort  Meigs,  and  endeavoured  by  a  variety  of  stratagems  to 
withdraw  the  Americans  from  their  works  into  the  open  field. 
Not  succeeding  in  this,  on  the  1st  of  August,  Proctor  laid 
siege  to  Fort  Stephenson  on  the  Sandusky  river,  with  a  force 
of  five  hundred  regulars  and  eight  hundred  Indians.  The  gar- 
rison consisted  of  only  a  hundred  and  sixty  men,  with  a  single 
piece  of  cannon  ;  but  they  were  commanded  by  Major  Crog- 
han,  a  young  officer,  distinguished  by  the  gallantry  suited  to 
his  age,  and  the  firmness  and  judgment  of  a  veteran.  He  had 
been  directed  to  abandon  the  fort  on  the  approach  of  a  supe- 
rior force,  but  confiding  in  his  own  resources  and  the  courage 
of  his  men,  he  dared  to  assume  the  responsibility  of  defend- 
mg  it. 

Having  poured  into  the  fort  a  galling  cannonade  of  shot  and 
shells  for  two  days,  the  British  advanced  at  two  diflferent 
points  to  assault  the  works.  One  of  the  advancing  parties, 
consisting  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  men,  commanded  by 
Colonel  Short,  was  received  with  a  heavy  fire,  and  eighty  of 
them,  having  leaped  over  the  pickets  into  the  ditch,  were  all 
killed  or  captured.  Short  nimself  being  among  the  slain.  The 
remainder  were  repulsed.  The  other  party  marched  up  a 
ravine  towards  the  fort,  and  were  received  with  a  discharge  of 
slugs  and  balls  from  the  six  pounder  which  had  been  masked 
and  reserved  for  their  reception,  and  now  mowed  them  down 
with  prodigious  slaughter.  This  spirited  resistance  so  com 
pletely  dismayed  the  enemy,  that  Proctor  abandoned  his  dead 
and  wounded  and  fled  for  safety.  The  Indians  were  so  dis- 
appointed at  missing  the  plunder  and  scalps  of  the  garrison, 
that  they  forthwith  began  to  abandon  their  allies  in  grea 
numbers. 

Major  Croghan,  for  his  brilliant  services  in  this  afTair,  re 


What  forts  were  threatened  by  Ge- 
neral Proctor  ? 
How  was  he  foiled  by  Harrison  ? 
W)^  OJvaa^nM  Fo^  Stephenson  ? 


With  what  force  was  it  attacked  ^ 
With  what  force  defended  i 
Describe  the  affair. 


372 


BATILE  ON  LAKE  ERIE. 


<'eived  the  appointment  of  lieutenant  colonel  by  brevet  in  tn< 
regular  army ;  and  the  ladies  of  Chilicothe  presented  him  with 
a  splendid  sword.  The  repulse  which  he  had  given  tiic 
British  and  Indians  saved  Fort  Meigs  from  an  asssmlt,  and 
completely  relieved  the  frontier  to  the  south  of  the  strait  at 
Detroit,  from  its  most  troublesome  enemy. 

General  Harrison,  who  had  the  chief  command  on  th« 
north-western  frontier,  was  now  occupied  in  preparing  his 
droops  for  a  descent  upon  the  enemy's  territory,  as  soon  as 
the  squadron  in  preparation  on  Lake  Erie  should  be  ready  to 
afford  him  the  facilities  of  transportation.  Early  in  September 
Commodore  Perry,  who  had  in  a  few  months  succeeded  in 
constructing  from  the  trees  of  the  neighbouring  forests,  a  re- 
spectable squadron,  sailed  from  Erie  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy, 
who  had  hitherto  commanded  the  lake.  His  fleet  consisted 
of  nine  small  vessels  mounting  in  all  fifty-six  guns.  That  of 
the  British,  under  Commodore  Barclay,  consisted  of  six  larger 
vessels  mounting  sixty-nine  guns.  His  complement  of  men 
was  also  greater  than  that  of  Perry. 

On  the  10th  of  September  the  fleets  met  off  Put-in-bay, 
At  the  commencement  of  the  action  the  Lawrence,  the  flag 
ship,  was  attacked  by  the  Detroit  and  Queen  Charlotte,  and 
as  the  wind  was  too  light  to  allow  the  remainder  of  the 
squadron  to  come  up  to  the  commodore's  support,  he  had  to 
sustain  their  fire  for  two  hours,  w^hen  the  Lawrence  being 
reduced  to  a  sinking  condition,  he  committed  her  to  the 
charge  of  Lieutenant  Yarnall,  and  descending  into  a  boat, 
passed  through  a  shower  of  cannon  balls  and  bullets,  and 
transferred  his  flag  to  the  Niagara.  The  wind  now  freshen- 
ing, the  remainder  of  the  American  vessels  were  brought  into 
action,  and  soon  compelled  the  surrender  of  the  whole  British 
fleet. 

This  victory  being  the  first  obtained  over  a  squadron,  and 
bringing  with  it  the  most  important  advantages,  occasioned 
greater  rejoicing  among  the  Americans  than  any  which  had 
preceded  it.  The  gallant  Perry  was  loaded  with  honours 
and  distinctions,  and  his  victory  w^as  proudly  recorded  in  the 
annals  and  celebrated  in  the  songs  of  his  countrymen. 

On  receiving  intelligence  of  Perry's  success.  General  Haiw 
rison,  who  had  been  reinforced  by  a  strong  body  of  Kentucky 


How  was  Major  Croghan  rewarded  ? 
For  wha*  was  General  Harrison  pre- 
paring ? 

9ow  large  a  fleet  had  Coffimodore 
Penj  built  ? 


What  was  the  British  naval  lorc«  f 
When  did  the  squadrons  meet  / 
Describe  the  battle. 
Who  conquered  i 


BATTLE  OF  THE  THAMES. 


373 


militia  under  Governor  Shelby,  embarked  in  the  small  vessels 
of  the  Lake  squadron,  and  landing  nenr  Amheistburg, 
marched  at  once  on  Maiden.  General  Proctor,  the  English 
commander,  retreated  rapidly,  first  to  Sandwich  and  then  to 
the  river  Thames,  rapidly  pursued  by  General  Harrison. 
Proctor  at  last  drew  up  his  army  of  British  regulars,  Cana- 
dians, and  Indians  near  Moravian  town,  on  the  Thames,  in  a 
strong  position.  As  the  mounted  Kentucky  rifles  under 
Colonel  James  Johnson  advanced,  the  English  met  them 
with  a  heavy  fire,  but  the  Kentuckians  dashed  through  their 
first  line,  routed  the  second,  and  opened  a  galling  fire  on  the 
rear  of  the  disorganized  ti'oops.  At  the  same  time  the 
British  right,  composed  of  Indians  under  the  famous  chief 
Tecumseh,  was  attacked  by  Colonel  Richard  M.  Johnson. 
The  Indians  fought  bravely,  and  the  Americans  lost  heavily. 
Dismounting,  they  engaged  the  enemy  in  genuine  border 
fashion.  The  Indians  kept  up  the  contest  long  after  Proctor 
and  his  troops  had  fled,  but  when  their  chief  Tecumseh  fell, 
they  too  gave  way. 

Proctor  saved  himself  by  flight,  leaving  his  camp  equipage 
and  papers.  Six  hundred  of  the  British  were  made  prisoners. 
The  Indians  are  said  to  have  borne  the  brunt  of  the  battle, 
and  fallen  in  great  numbers.  Their  great  chief,  Tecumseh, 
was  among  the  slain  in  the  battle  of  the  Thames,  having  been 
shot  by  Colonel  Johnson.  This  victory  restored  to  the  Ame- 
ricans all  the  posts  which  had  been  surrendered  by  General 
Hull. 

The  British  had  been  no  less  successful  in  exciting  the 
hostility  of  the  Indians  at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  Union 
than  at  the  north;  and  a  visit  of  Tecumseh  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  war  had  stirred  up  among  them  a  spirit  of  blind 
fanaticism  which  manifested  itself  by  a  series  of  hostilities, 
carried  on  by  the  Creeks  and  Seminoles  against  the  frontier 
Inhabitants  of  Georgia.  This  was  repressed,  however,  for 
the  time,  by  an  im^ursion  of  2,500  Tennessee  volunteers  led 
by  General  Jackson  in  the  fall  of  1812.  Their  hostility  now 
6urst  forth  with  fresh  violence. 

At  Fort  Mimms,  in  the  Tensaw  settlement,  a  party  of  300 
inhabitants  who  had  fled  thither  for  safety,  were  surprised  on 
.he  30th  of  August,  by  600  Indians,  who  broke  into  ihe  fort 


What  was   now  done  by  General 

Harrison  ? 
Where  did  he  overtake  the  British  ? 
Describe  the  battle  of  the  Thames 
What  did  this  victopv  restore  to  the 

Americuis  ? 


What  excited  the  hostility  of  thi 

Indians  in  the  south  ? 
Who  repressed  their  attempts  in  th9 

fan  of  1812  ? 
What  was  done  ai  Fort  Mimmfl  f 


THE  CREEK  WAR. 


diove  the  people  into  the  houses  which  it  inclosed,  and  sei 
them  on  fire     Only  seventeen  escaped  the  general  massacre. 

An  army  of  3,500  militia  principally  from  Tennessee  wai 
speedily  assembled  and  placed  under  the  command  of  Genera\ 
Jackson  for  the  purpose  of  chr.stising  the  authors  of  this  un 
provoked  outrage.  On  the  2d  of  November  a  detachment  of 
this  force  under  General  Coffee  attacked  the  Creeks,  at  Tal 
luschatches,  destroyed  200  of  their  warriors,  burnt  their  town, 
and  captured  86  prisoners. 

On  the  8th,  General  Jackson  attacked  a  large  body  of  the 
Creeks,  who  were  assembled  at  Tal?  '  ^a,  and  defeated  them ; 
the  Indians  leaving  290  of  their  w—  .ors  on  the  field,  and 
retreating  to  the  mountains. 

On  the  18th  of  November,  General  White  was  equally 
successful  at  the  Hillibee  village,  where,  after  a  bloody  en- 
counter, he  defeated  the  Creeks,  60  of  their  warriors  being 
killed,  and  256  made  prisoners  without  the  loss  of  a  single 
man  on  the  side  of  the  Americans.  General  Floyd  inflicted 
a  simdar  defeat  on  the  Indians  at  Autosse,  on  the  29th  of 
November. 

On  the  22d  of  January,  1814,  General  Jackson,  with  aboui 
1,400  men,  was  attacked  by  a  large  body  of  the  Creeks  near 
the  bend  of  the  Tallapoosa.  The  Indians  were  repulsed  with 
considerable  loss,  and  the  general,  having  effected  his  object, 
a  diversion  in  favour  of  General  Floyd,  retired  to  Fort  Stro- 
ther.  A  furious  night  attack,  made  upon  General  Floyd's 
detachment  on  the  27th,  was  successfully  resisted ;  and  the 
Indians  were  compelled,  after  a  seve'-e  loss,  to  fly  for  shelter 
into  the  Caulibee  swamp. 

The  last  signal  stroke  of  vengeance  was  inflicted  on  the 
Creeks  at  the  Horse  Shoe  Bend,  called  by  the  Indians  To- 
hopeka,  on  the  Tallapoosa,  March  27th,  1814.  Here,  by  the 
judicious  arrangements  of  General  Jackson,  they  were  com- 
pletely surrounded,  and  after  a  most  sanguinary  battle,  tlj^ 
greatei  part  of  them  were  destroyed  Six  hundred  warriow 
fell  in  the  battle,  and  but  300  escaped. 

This  may  be  considered  the  closing  scene  of  the  Creek 
war,  since  the  subsequent  march  of  General  Jackson  to  ^be 
Hickory  Ground  only  terminated  in  the  formal  submission 
the  chiefs.   


Who  now  maiched  against  the  In- 
dians ? 

What  was  done  by  General  Ui  ffee  ? 
By  General  Jackson  f 
By  General  Whitp  ? 
9/  General  Floyd  / 


What  was  done  by  General  Jacktos 

on  the  22d  of  Jcnuarr  ? 
By  General  Floyt^  on  *he  2''th  ? 
^y  Genera]  Jackson  «>q  the  S7tb  «i 

March  ? 


EUSSIAN  MEDIATION. 


375 


General  Jackson  after  the  battle  of  Tohopeka  scoured  the 
country  on  the  Coosa  and  Tallapoosa  rivers.  Some  of  the 
Creeks,  seeing  how  they  had  been  deluded  into  hostilities  by 
the  English  for  their  own  destruction,  fled  to  Pensacola. 
Others,  including  many  chiefs  and  prophets,  submitted  to 
the  Carolina  militia  under  Colonel  Pearson  Finally  the  In- 
dians, utterly  humiliated,  with  their  bravest  warriors  gone, 
gave  up  the  contest.  They  were  completely  at  the  mercy 
of  the  conquerors,  and  found  themselves  abandoned  by  the 
English.  Accordingly,  when  in  August  a  treaty  of  peace 
was  dictated  by  General  Jackson,  the  Creeks  signed  it,  yield- 
ing up  a  part  of  their  territory,  and  agreeing  to  hold  no  inter- 
course with  any  British  or  Spanish  post. 

*  The  interference  of  Great  Britain,'  says  an  American  his- 
torian,* '  in  the  relations  that  subsisted  between  the  United 
States  and  the  Creek  Indians,  was,  as  will  be  presently  seen, 
finally  retaliated  upon  her,  with  four-fold  vengeance.  The 
war  with  those  deluded  savages  was  the  school  in  which 
Generals  Jackson,  Coffee,  and  Carroll  became  adepts  m  the 
tactics  that  made  a  Tennessee  rifleman  superior  to  a  "  Wei 
lington  invincible,"  and  qualified  an  army  of  citizen  soldiers 
to  defeat  an  army  of  veterans,  of  superior  numbers.  The 
ways  of  Providence  are  indeed  inscrutable  to  man.  When 
the  Creek  war  broke  out,  the  United  States  were  completely 
6egirt  with  enemies  ;  and  short-sighted  man  would  have  con- 
sidered the  addition  of  an  infuriated  and  warlike  race  to  the 
.ist  of  their  foes  as  an  event  much  to  be  deplored.  But  this 
circumstance,  more  than  any  other,  favoured  the  defence  of 
New  Orleans.  The  oflicers  and  soldiers  who  defeated  the 
legions  of  Packenham,  Gibbs,  Keane,  and  Lambert,  were 
formed  in  the  contest  with  the  unfortunate  victims  to  British 
iafluence.' 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

CAMPAIGN  OF  1814. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1813  an  offer  was  made  by  the 
emperor  of  Russia  of  his  mediation  as  the  common  frieml  of 


VT'iat  remarks  are  made  on  the  con- 
duct of  the  British  ? 


What  offer  was  made  by  the  enapeioi 
of  Russia  in  1813  ? 


*  Ramfay'i  History  of  the  United  States. 


376 


ACTION  AT  LA  COLE  MILL. 


the  United  States  and  Great  Britain,  for  the  purpose  of  facilr 
tating  a  peace  between  them.  The  president,  having  accepted 
this  offer,  commissioned  John  Quincy  Adams,  then  ministei 
of  the  United  States  at  St.  Petersburg,  Albert  Gallatin,  and 
James  A.  Bayard,  with  the  requisite  powers  to  conclude  a 
treaty  of  peace  with  persons  clothed  with  similar  powers,  on 
the  part  of  Great  Britain. 

During  the  session  of  congress,  which  commenced  in  De- 
cember, 1813,  a  communication  was  received  from  the  British 
government,  declining  to  treat  under  the  mediation  of  Russia, 
and  proposing  a  direct  negotiation  in  London  or  Gottenburg. 
This  proposition  was  accepted,  and  the  latter  place  appointed 
for  the  meeting,  which  was  afterwards  transferred  to  Ghent 
and  Henry  Clay  and  Jonathan  Russell  were  added  to  the 
commissioners  who  had  already  gone  to  Europe. 

For  the  purpose  of  increasing  the  force  of  the  regular  army, 
several  acts  of  congress  were  passed,  offering  large  bounties 
to  recruits,  and  providing  liberally  for  the  pay,  rations,  and 
clothing  of  the  troops.  A  loan  of  twenty-five  millions  of 
dollars,  and  the  issue  of  treasury  notes  for  five  millions,  were 
also  authorised.  Provision  was  also  made  for  the  increase 
and  better  organisation  of  the  navy,  and  for  the  defence  of  the 
seaboard.  An  embargo,  which  had  been  laid  to  prevent  the 
trade  under  British  licenses,  was  repealed  in  April,  1814. 

The  fall  of  Napoleon,  having  left  Great  Britain  at  peace 
with  all  nations  except  the  United  States,  enabled  that  power 
to  direct  the  whole  of  her  disposable  force  against  the  Ameri- 
cans. This  circumstance,  increasing  the  perils  of  the  cam- 
paign, rendered  it  necessary  to  make  greater  exertions  and 
sacrifices  for  the  defence  of  the  country. 

The  spring  passed  away  without  any  important  operations 
on  either  side.  The  army  which  had  wintered  at  French 
Mills  left  that  station  in  the  early  part  of  the  spring,  ore  divi- 
sion, under  General  Wilkinson,  proceeding  to  Plattsburg,  and 
the  remainder,  under  General  Brown,  returning  to  Sackeit's 
Harbour.  In  March,  General  Wilkinson  entered  Canada, 
and  made  an  attack  on  a  party  of  the  British  stationed  in  a 
large  stone  building  called  La  Cole  Mill.  He  was  defeated 
with  a  heavy  loss ;  and  being  soon  afterwards  superseded,  his 
command  was  given  to  General  Izard. 


What  was  the  answer  of  ths  United 

States  ? 
Of  the  British  government  ? 
Who  were  ad  led  to  the  commis- 


What  was  ione  to  increase  the  foiet 

of  the  army  ? 
What  was  the  effect  of  the  fall  oi 

Napoleon  ? 
What  is  said  of  the  armr  at  FiwfiM 


BATTLE  OF  CHIPPEWA. 


377 


On  the  5th  of  May,  the  British  made  a  descent  on  Oswego 
and  succeeded  in  capturing  anc  destroying  the  fort  and  mill 
tary  stores  at  that  place  ;  after  which  they  returned  to  King 
ston. 

Early  in  July,  General  Brown  crossed  the  Niagara  river 
and  invested  Fort  Erie,  which  was  surrendered  without  oppo 
sition,  and  the  prisoners,  137  in  number,  were  sent  to  Buffalo 
The  army  then  advanced  to  Chippewa,  where  a  large  body 
of  the  Britisli  were  posted  ;  and,  on  the  5th  of  July,  a  severe 
engagement  took  place,  in  which  the  British  lost  upwards  of 
three  hundred  killed  and  wounded,  two  hundred  being  lef 
dead  on  the  field.  The  American  loss  was  60  killed,  and  268 
wounded  and  missing.  The  British  then  retired  to  Fort 
George,  and  General  Brown  took  post  at  Queenstown  to 
await  reinforcements  from  Sackett's  Harbour. 

The  expected  reinforcements,  however,  being  blockaded  by 
a  British  fleet  off  the  harbour,  did  not  arrive.  Detachments 
from  the  army  were  occupied  with  unimportant  skirmishes 
until  July  25th,  when  the  battle  of  Bridgewater,  near  the 
cataract  of  Niagara,  took  place. 

The  British  advanced  to  the  attack  under  General  Drum- 
mond.  The  first  brigade,  under  General  Scott,  with  Towson's 
artillery  and  a  body  of  cavalry,  composed  the  advance  of  the 
Americans,  and,  engaging  the  enemy  at  six  o'clock  in  the 
evenmg,  sustained  the  attack  without  support  for  an  hour. 
General  Ripley,  with  fresh  troops,  then  arriving,  relieved 
General  Scott,  and  his  exhausted  brigade  formed  a  reserve  on 
the  rear.  The  British  artillery  had  taken  post  on  an  emi- 
nence at  the  head  of  Lundy's  Lane,  and  poured  a  most  deadly 
fire  on  the  Americans.  It  became  necessary  to  dislodge  them 
or  retreat.  *  Will  you  advance  and  capture  that  battery  V 
said  the  commanding  general  to  Colonel  Miller.  '  I  will  try, 
sir,'  was  the  modest  reply  of  the  colonel,  which  afterwards 
became  the  motto  of  his  regiment.  He  advanced  coolly  and 
steadily  to  his  object,  amidst  a  tremendous  fire  of  artillery, 
and  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet  carried  the  artillery  and  the 
height.  The  guns  were  turned  upon  the  enemy.  Several 
attempts  were  made  to  regain  them  without  success.  The 
principal  force  of  both  parties  were  directed  to  this  point,  and 
a  most  sanguinary  contest  took  place,  which  resulted  in  the 
defeat  of  the  British.    The  loss  on  each  side  was  about  800 


Of  the  capture  of  Oswego  ?  Of  the  battle  of  Bridgewater. 

Jf  Fort  Erie  ?  What  is  said  of  Colonel  MUler  ? 

fii^e  an  account  of  the  battle  of    What  was  the  loss  on  each  side  t 
Chippewa.  W^here  did  General  Riplejr  take  poi 

32* 


W7S 


81EOE  OF  rOTLX  fCRlR. 


Generals  Brown  and  Scott  being  both  severely  wounded  in 
the  battle,  the  command  devolved  upon  General  Ripley,  who 
took  post  at  Fort  Erie.  General  Gaines  having  arrived  soon 
alter  and  taken  the  command,  was  attacked  by  General  Drum- 
mond,  at  the  head  of  5,000  troops,  who  formally  invested  the 
place  on  the  4th  of  August.  Having  advanced  their  lines  to 
within  400  yards  of  the  fort,  the  enemy  commenced  a  brisk 
cannonade  on  the  13th,  which  continued  the  whole  of  that 
and  the  next  day.  The  fire  was  steadily  returned  by  the 
Americans.  On  the  night  of  the  14th  an  assault  was  made 
by  the  British,  which  resulted  in  their  repulse,  with  the  loss 
of  900  men  ;  the  Americans  losing  but  84. 

On  the  2d  of  September,  General  Brown  had  so  far  reco- 
vered from  his  wounds  as  to  be  able  to  resume  the  command 
The  British  main  body,  under  General  Drummond,  was  en- 
camped two  miles  from  Fort  Erie,  while  his  works  were 
advanced  to  within  400  yards  of  the  American  lines.  One  of 
his  brigades,  with  a  detachment  of  artillery,  was  stationed  at 
this  advance.  On  the  17th,  Generals  Porter,  Miller,  and 
Brown,  with  large  detachments,  made  a  sortie,  with  a  view 
to  cut  off  the  British  advanced  posts  from  the  main  body. 
Within  thirty  minutes  the  whole  line  of  the  enemy's  entrench- 
ments were  in  possession  of  the  Americans.  The  works 
were  destroyed,  and,  strong  reinforcements  of  the  enemy 
coming  up,  the  Americans  retired  within  their  lines.  The 
American  loss  was  79  killed,  and  432  wounded  and  missing. 
The  British  lost  500  killed  and  wounded,  and  385  captured. 
The  result  of  this  gallant  sortie  completely  discouraged  the 
enemy,  who,  on  the  night  of  the  21st,  raised  the  siege,  which 
had  continued  49  days,  and  retired  to  his  entrenchments 
behind  the  Chippewa. 

On  the  9th  of  October  General  Izard  arrived  with  reinforce- 
ments from  Plattsburg,  and  took  the  command.  General  Brown 
retiring  to  Sackett's  Harbour.  General  Izard,  deeming  ii 
inexpedient  to  attempt  any  further  offensive  operations  in  this 
quarter,  demolished  the  works  at  Fort  Erie,  and  removed  the 
troops  to  Buffalo. 

The  next  attempt  of  the  British  was  a  descent  upon  Platts- 
burg. This  was  the  principal  military  and  naval  dep6t  for 
&e  army  of  the  north  and  the  flotilla  on  Lake  Champlain 


invested  Fort  Erie  ? 
iVTiat  took  place  on  the  13th  of  Au- 
gust ? 

On  the  2d  of  September  t 
Od  the  17th? 


When  was  the  siege  raised  ? 
How  long  had  it  lasted  ? 
What  was  done  by  Geneial  Izard  f 
What  was  the  next  point  of  attack 
the  British  ^ 


battlk  on  lake  champlaw. 


379 


ita  defence  was  entrusted  to  General  Macomb,  with  1,500 
reg-ulars,  and  the  neighbouring  militia,  to  be  called  in  a« 
occasion  might  require.  On  the  1st  of  September,  Genera] 
Prevost,  with  14,000  men,  advanced  to  Champlain,  within  15 
miles  of  the  American  lines.  Having  called  in  the  militia 
who  flocked  to  his  standard  from  the  neighbouring  country 
in  great  numbers,  General  Macomb  made  every  exertion  to 
impede  the  approach,  and  prepare  for  the  attack  of  the  enemy 
The  bridges  on  his  line  of  march  were  broken  up,  and  every 
possible  impediment  thrown  in  the  way  of  his  passage,  and 
the  fortifications  at  Plattsburg  were  strengthened  by  additional 
breastworks  and  batteries. 

On  the  6th  of  September  the  British  advance  was  met  at 
Batemantown,  six  miles  from  Plattsburg,  by  a  corps  of  700 
militia,  under  General  Mooers.  After  some  slight  skirmish- 
ing, the  militia  discovered  the  New  York  state  dragoons  in  red 
uniform,  reconnoitering  the  heights  on  their  rear,  and  mistaking 
them  for  British  troops  in  the  act  of  surrounding  their  party, 
they  broke  and  fled  in  every  direction.  On  the  same  day  the 
British,  commanded  by  Sir  George  Prevost  in  person,  entered 
Plattsburg.  The  Americans  retired  to  the  south  side  of  the 
Saranac  river,  tore  up  the  bridges  and  made  breastworks  of 
them,  and  guarded  the  ford-ways  ;  while  the  British  strength- 
ened their  works,  and  prepared  for  the  attack. 

While  these  operations  were  going  forward  on  land,  the 
American  squadron  on  Lake  Champlain  lay  at  anchor  in  a  bay 
'wo  miles  distant,  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  British  fleet, 
which  was  to  assist  in  the  simultaneous  attack  about  to  take 
place  on  land  and  water.  On  the  morning  of  the  11th,  the 
enemy's  ships  appeared,  bearing  down  upon  the  Americans 
under  easy  sail,  and  the  action  immediately  commenced.  It 
was  a  hard  fought  battle,  and  it  terminated  in  a  manner  highly 
honourable  to  the  courage  and  resolution  of  Commodore 
M'Donough  and  his  brave  associates.  The  fleets  were  en- 
gaged two  hours  and  twenty  minutes.  Nearly  all  the  British 
ships  were  sunk  or  taken  ;  and  when  the  action  closed,  there 
was  not  a  mast  standing  in  either  squadron  to  which  a  sail 
could  be  attached.  When  the  flag  ship  of  the  British,  having 
lost  its  commander.  Commodore  Downie,  struck  her  colours, 
the  shores  resounded  with  the  acclamations  of  the  American 


How  was  Plattsburg  defended  ? 
What  was  the  force  of  General  Pre- 
vost? 


What  took  place  on  the  6th  of  Sep* 

teraber  ? 

Describe  the  nava?  battle  of  the  lltli 


980 


FLIGHT  OF  GENERAL  PREVOST. 


troops  and  citizens.  The  British,  seeing  their  fleet  com 
pletely  conquered,  were  dispirited  and  dismayed.* 

At  the  moment  when  the  naval  action  had  commenced,  the 
British  from  their  works  on  shore,  had  opened  a  heavy  fire 
of  shot,  shells  and  rockets  upon  the  American  lines.  Undei 
cover  of  this  fire,  three  desperate  efl'orts  were  made  to  crosi 
the  Saranac,  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  the  American  lines 
by  assault,  all  which  were  met  and  successfully  resisted. 
One  ford,  guarded  by  militia,  was  passed,  and  a  body  of  the 
British  being  drawn  into  the  woods,  were  so  severely  han'^'  <^ 
that  they  were  compelled  to  recross  the  river  with  consid*^.- 
able  loss.  At  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  the  British  batteries 
were  silenced  ;  and  during  the  night  the  whole  army  decamped 
with  precipitation,  leaving  their  sick  and  wounded,  and  most 
of  their  camp  equipage,  entrenching  tools  and  provisions, 
behind  them.  This  retreat  was  so  sudden  and  unexpected, 
that  it  was  not  discovered  by  the  American  general  till  the 
British  were  eight  miles  from  the  late  scene  of  action.  Indeed 
he  had  little  reason  to  suppose  that  a  disciplined  and  well 
appointed  army,  *  Wellington's  veterans,'  numbering  some 
fourteen  thousand,  would  have  fled  so  incontinently  from 
1,500  American  regulars,  and  3,000  militia.  The  hard 
fighting  on  the  lake  must  have  had  what  it  is  the  fashion  to 
call  a  *  moral  efl^ect.'  In  the  phrase  of  Monsieur  De  Bour- 
rienne,  it  *  demoralised'  them.  Their  commander  was  dis 
missed  and  disgraced  by  his  government. 

This  battle  terminated  the  active  warfare  on  the  Canada 
border,  the  general  result  of  which  conveys  to  Americans  the 
important  lesson  that  the  genius  of  their  institutions,  and  the 
character  of  the  people,  are  as  uncongenial  to  all  schemes  of 
foreign  conquest  as  they  are  favourable  to  the  resolute  and 
unflinching  defence  of  their  own  soil.  The  militia  who  dis- 
played so  much  bravery  near  their  own  fire-sides,  could 
never  be  brought  tG  enter  heartily  into  the  scheme  of  invad- 


What  was  the  result  ? 
What  was  the  comparative  force  of 
the  fleets? 


What  was  the  effect  of  M'Donoueh'i 

victory  on  the  land  operations  r 
What  remarks  are  made  on  the  Canadt 
war  ? 


*  The  American  force  consisted  of  the  Saratoga  26  guns ;  Eagle  20 1 
Ticonderoga  17  ;  Preble  7 ;  6  galleys  of  2  guns  ;  and  4  of  1 — in  all  86  guns^ 
and  820  men.  The  British  had  the  Confiance  39  guns;  Linnet  16;  Chenib 
|2 ;  Finch  1 1 ;  5  galleys  of  2  guns  each  ;  and  8  of  1  gun  each — making  in  aJl 
#6  guns,  and  1,020  men.  American  loss  52  killed,  58  wounded.  British  lc€3 
84  killed,  110  wounded.  The  old  story !  The  result  was  always  about  in 
thf  #amf  roportion  when  the  fighting  was  d^ne  cu  the  water. 


CAPTAIN  porter's  CRUISE. 


381 


mg  the  British  territory.  All  efforts  in  that  quarter  resulted 
m  the  same  *  lame  and  mpotent  conclusion.'  Even  the 
splendid  achievements  at  Chippewa,  Bridgewater,  and  Fort 
Erie,  produced  nothing  in  the  way  of  conquest ;  while  the 
defence  of  Fori  Sandusky  and  Plattsburg  brought  the  solid 
advantages  of  immunity  from  foreign  oppression  and  savage 
warfare. 

The  naval  events  of  this  campaign  on  the  ocean  were  not 
less  brilliant  than  those  with  which  the  war  had  commenced. 
The  cruise  of  Captain  Porter  in  the  frigate  Essex,  chiefly  in 
the  Pacific  Ocean,  had  commenced  in  1812.  He  had  captured 
a  large  number  of  British  vessels,  and  had  succeeded  in  com- 
pletely destroying  the  enemy's  commerce  within  the  range 
of  his  cruise.  One  of  the  captured  vessels  had  been  converted 
into  a  vessel  of  war  mounting  20  guns,  which  he  named  the 
Essex  Junior.  The  intelligence  of  Captain  Porter's  exploits 
in  the  Pacific  had  at  length  occasioned  a  force  of  the  enemy 
to  be  sent  in  pursuit  of  him.  While  the  Essex  and  Essex 
Junior  were  lying  in  the  harbour  of  Valparaiso,  the  Phoebe, 
a  British  frigate  of  38  guns,  and  a  sloop  of  war.  appeared  oflf 
the  port.  Having  entered  the  harbour  and  obtained  provi- 
sions, they  cruised  off  the  port  for  six  weeks.  Their  united 
force  was  much  greater  than  Captain  Porter's.  On  the  28th 
of  March,  the  Essex  attempted  to  escape  to  sea,  but  in  round- 
ing the  point  she  was  struck  by  a  squall  which  carried  away  her 
main  top  mast,  and  unable  to  regain  the  harbour.  Captain  Porter 
ran  into  a  small  bay  and  anchored  within  pistol  shot  of  the 
«hore.  Here,  in  violation  of  the  rights  of  neutrality,  he  wa» 
attacked  in  a  most  unfavourable  position  by  a  superior  force, 
consisting  of  both  the  British  ships  above  mentioned,  and 
after  gallantly  maintaining  the  unequal  contest  for  three  hours, 
was  compelled  to  surrender.  The  disregard  of  the  British 
for  the  rules  of  warfare  relating  to  an  enemy  under  the  pro- 
tection of  a  neutral  nation,  was,  subsequently  referred  to  by 
the  Americans  in  justification  of  General  Jackson's  retalia- 
tory proceedings  in  Florida. 

The  sloop  of  war  Peacock  of  18  guns  commanded  by 
Captain  Warrington,  on  the  29th  of  iipril,  fell  in  with,  and 
after  an  action  of  42  minutes,  captured  the  British  brig  of  war 
Epervier  of  18  guns;  the  Peacock  and  her  prize,  with 
120,000  dollars  in  specie,  arrived  safely  in  the  United  States 
The  sloop  of  war  Wasp,  of  18  guns,  commanded  by  Captain 
Blakely,  encountered,  on  the  28th  of  June,  the  British  brig  of 


What  other  naval  actions  took  place  this  year  ? 


382 


NAfAL  AC1I0N8. 


urar  Reiiideei,  of  19  guns,  and  after  a  spirited  action  ol  twc 
hours  compelled  her  to  surrender.  The  British  vessel  was 
BO  much  disabled  that  it  was  found  necessary  to  set  her  on 
fire.  In  September,  Captain  Blakely  fell  in  with  and  captured 
tlie  British  sloop  of  war  Avon  of  20  guns.  The  appearance 
of  a  British  squadron  compelled  Captain  Blakely  to  abandon 
nis  prize,  which  sunk  Foon  after  the  removal  of  her  crew 

In  February,  18 » 5,  Captain  Stewart  in  the  Constitution  fell 
in  with  the  British  frigate  Cyane,  of  34  guns,  and  the  sloop  of 
war  Levant,  of  21  guns,  and  notwithstanding  their  great 
Buperiority  of  force,  engaged  them  both  and  soon  compelled 
their  surrender.  The  British  loss  in  both  their  ships  was  77 
dlled  and  wounded  ;  the  American,  3  killed  and  12  wounded 

The  frigate  Pr^^sident,  commanded  by  Captain  Decatur 
on  the  morning  after  sailing  from  New  York,  was  chased  by 
.he  British  blockading  squadron,  consisting  of  the  Majestic, 
mounting  70  guns,  and  the  Endymion,  Pomona  and  Tenedos, 
of  50  guns  each.  Being  overtaken  first  by  the  Endymion,  she 
was  engaged,  completely  dismantled,  and  her  guns  silenced; 
but  the  squadron  soon  after  coming  up,  the  grallant  Decatur 
was  compelled     strike  his  colours. 

A  very  spirited  naval  action  was  that  of  the  Hornet 
of  18  guns,  commanded  by  Captain  Biddle,  and  the  Penguin, 
of  19  guns,  fought  in  January,  1815,  and  terminated  by  the 
capture  and  destruction  of  the  British  vessel.  The  achieve 
ments  of  the  navy  had  rendered  this  species  of  force  highlji 
Dopular  with  the  nation ;  and  its  encouragement  and  gradua) 
increase  has  ever  since  been  the  settled  policy  of  the  govern 
ment. 

The  withdrawal  of  the  British  arms  from  the  continent  of 
Europe,  and  their  embarkation  for  this  country,  rendered  it  a 
matter  of  necessity  to  fortify  every  important  point  on  the  sea- 
board, as  it  could  not  be  known  where  the  anticipated  inva- 
sion was  to  take  place.  The  people  of  the  great  commercial 
cities,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Boston  and  Baltimore,  em- 
ployed themselves  with  great  activity  in  strengthening  their 
respective  fortifications,  and  the  militia  were  mustered,  and 
large  bodies  of  them  drafted  for  camp  duty.  The  military 
district  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Washington,  was  assigned 
to  General  Winder,  and  1,000  regular  troops  were  placed  a1 
his  disposal,  with  authority  to  call  out  15,000  militia,  if  theii 
services  should  be  required. 


What  measures  of  defence  were  taken  I  Who  conmian^<ed  the  aimj  net  v  Wash* 
on  the  seaboard  f  \    ington  ? 


THE  BRITISH  AT  WASHINGTON 


On  the  10th  of  August,  a  British  fleet  of  60  sail,  under  Ad- 
miral Cochrane,  with  a  land  force  of  6,000  men,  under  Oeneral 
Ross,  entered  the  Chesapeake  bay,  and  proceeded  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Potomac,  when  a  squadron  under  Commodore 
Gordon  entered  that  river,  and  advanced  towards  Alexandria, 
The  principal  part  of  the  fleet,  with  the  land  forces,  con- 
tinued their  course  to  the  mouth  of  the  Patuxent,  and  entered 
that  river  on  the  18th.  Commodore  Barney,  who  commanded 
the  American  flotilla  of  gun  boats  on  that  river,  to  prevent 
Iheir  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  blew  them  up,  and 
proceeded  to  join  General  Winder. 

The  British,  on  their  advance  up  the  Patuxent,  learning  the 
defenceless  state  of  Washington  determined  on  an  expedition 
to  that  city.  Five  thousand  men,  under  General  Ross,  having 
landed  at  Benedict,  advanced  towards  the  capital ;  the  Ame- 
ricans retiring  before  him.  The  whole  force  for  the  defence 
of  the  city,  including  militia,  did  not  exceed  7,200.  They 
were  concentrated  on  and  near  the  heights  of  Bladensburgh. 
On  the  24th  the  British  advanced,  and  commenced  an  attack, 
driving  in  the  advanced  parties  until  they  encountered  the 
battery  of  Commodore  Barney,  manned  with  seamen  and 
marines,  who  gave  them  the  only  serious  repulse  which  they 
met,  and  inflicted  the  heaviest  loss  which  they  sufl'ered  in  the 
battle.  Being. deserted  by  the  militia,  this  gallant  little  band 
were  at  length  surrounded,  and  their  commander  being  wound 
ed,  was  captured  and  paroled  for  his  courage  by  General  Ross 
The  city  was  then  abandoned  by  the  president  and  heads  of 
departments ;  the  whole  American  force  retreated  to  George- 
town. 

At  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  General  Ross  entered  the 
city  at  the  head  of  800  men.  Having  arrived  on  Capitol  hill, 
he  offered  terms  of  capitulation,  which  were,  that  the  city 
might  be  ransomed  by  paying  a  sum  of  money  nearly  equal 
to  the  value  of  public  and  private  property  which  it  contained  ; 
and  that,  on  receiving  it,  the  British  troops  should  retire  un- 
molested. As  there  was  no  civil  or  military  authority  on  the 
ipot,  competent  to  enter  into  such  an  arrangement  as  this,  he 
proceeded  to  burn  the  capitol,  the  president's  house,  the  oflices 


When  did  the  Briti?  :  arrive  in  the 

Chesapeake  ? 
With  what  force  ? 

Whither  did  Commodore  Gordon's 

squadron  proceed  ? 
Admiral  Cochrane 's  ? 
What  was  done  by  Con  modore  Bar- 
nv? 


What  occasioned  the  British  expedi 

tion  to  Washington  ? 
Who  commanded  it  ? 
When  did  they  commence  the  attack  j 
Who  resisted  it  manfully  ? 
What  was  the  result  ? 
How  did  Ross  behave  aftpr  **kiiif 

the  city  ? 


184 


ATTEMPT  ON  BALTIMORE. 


of  the  several  departments,  and  a  consideralle  number  Ol 
piivate  dwellings.  The  navy  yard,  w^ith  its  contents,  one 
frigate  on  the  stocks,  and  several  smaller  vessels  u^ere  also 
destroyed.  The  libraries  and  public  archives,  together  with 
all  the  works  of  art  contained  in  the  public  buildings,  were 
included  in  the  general  conflagration. 

No  parallel  for  this  act  of  Vandalism  can  be  found  in  the 
annals  of  modern  warfare.  It  was  felt  with  the  deepest  re- 
ientment  by  the  American  people,  and  denounced  in  the 
severest  terms  even  in  the  British  parliament.  The  disgrace 
of  having  their  capital  taken  by  an  enemy  was  suffered  by 
the  Americans  in  common  with  every  other  civilised  nation ; 
but  the  lasting  stigma  of  burning  national  archives  and  senate 
chambers  remains  with  the  British  alone. 

Having  accomplished  their  object,  the  enemy,  on  the  25th, 
made  a  precipitate  retreat,  and,  on  the  30th,  embarked  at 
Benedict. 

The  squadron,  under  Commodore  Gordon,  which  had 
advanced  up  the  river  Potomac,  arrived  at  Alexandria  on  the 
29th;  and  the  commander  having  granted  terms  of  capitula- 
tion to  the  citizens,  by  which  the  shipping,  naval  stores,  and 
merchandise  were  delivered  up,  received  the  surrender  of  the 
place.  A  scene  of  indiscriminate  plunder  then  ensued.  The 
fessels  m  the  harbour  were  taken  and  loaded  with  the  large 
stores  of  flour,  tobacco,  cotton,  wines,  and  sugars,  of  which 
Alexandria  was  the  depot,  and  the  whole  was  carried  off  with 
the  squadron,  on  its  return  down  the  river.  The  public  and 
private  buildings  of  the  town  were  mercifully  spared. 

The  success  of  General  Ross  at  Washington  induced  him 
to  undertake  the  capture  of  Baltimore.  He  boasted  that  he 
would  make  that  city  his  winter  quarters,  and  with  the  force 
which  he  commanded  he  could  march  where  he  pleased  in 
Maryland. 

The  Americans  were  not  unprepared  for  an  attack  in  this 
quarter.  A  force  of  militia  from  Maryland  and  the  neigh- 
bouring states,  together  with  the  regular  troops  who  had 
recently  been  engaged  at  Washington,  amounting  in  all  to 
fifteen  thousand  men,  had  been  assembled  for  the  defence  of 
the  city.    The  command  of  these  troops  was  given  to  Gene- 


WTiat  remarks  are  made  on  the  con- 
duct of  the  British  ? 
When  did  the  British  retreat  i 
What  was  done  by  Commodore  Ga> 
at  Alexandria  ? 


What  was  the  next  point  of  attaek  t 
What  was  said  by  Ross  ? 
W^hat  measures  were  taken  for  tbi 
defence  of  Baltimore  ? 


THE  BRTTISH  FOILED  AT  BALTIMORE. 


ass 


ral  Smith.  The  approach  to  the  city  by  water  was  defended 
by  Fort  McHenry,  which  was  held  by  Major  Armistead  with 
about  a  thousand  men,  while  on  the  Patapsco,  Fort  Coving- 
ton and  the  City  Battery  completed  the  defences.  The  re- 
cent defeat  of  Sir  Peter  Parker  at  Moor's  Fields,  where  he 
was  mortally  wounded,  had  inspirited  the  Americans,  who 
were  now  eager  to  avenge  the  burning  of  the  national  ar- 
chives and  the  destruction  of  Washington  by  Ross,  and  tht» 
piratical  acts  of  Gordon  at  Alexandria. 

While  vigorous  preparations  were  thus  made  to  save 
Baltimore,  Admiral  Cochrane  with  a  British  fleet  of  fifty 
sail,  carrying  six  thousand  regular  troops  on  board,  was 
advancing  up  the  Chesapeake,  sanguine  of  an  easy  victory 
and  rich  plunder  from  the  great  commercial  centre  of  Mary- 
land. 

On  the  11th  of  September  the  English  forces,  with  these 
•lating  prospects,  entered  the  mouth  of  the  Patapsco  River, 
ami  on  the  morning  of  the  12th  commenced  landing  at  North 
Pomt,  fourteen  miles  below  the  city.  General  Strieker  was 
detacned  with  three  thousand  five  hundred  militia  to  oppose 
their  advance.  General  Ross,  having  preceded  the  main 
body  of  his  army  with  a  small  reconnoitering  party,  was  shot 
through  the  breast  by  a  rifleman,  fell  into  the  arms  of  his  aid* 
de-Camp,  and  died  in  a  few  minutes.  The  command  devolved 
on  Culonel  Brook,  who  led  on  the  attack,  which  was  com- 
menced by  a  discharge  of  rockets  from  the  British,  and  was 
succeeded  by  grape,  canister,  and  small  arms  on  both  sides. 
After  maintaining  his  position  for  an  hour  and  a  half  against 
a  great  supwiority  of  numbers.  General  Strieker  was  at  length 
obliged  to  retire  to  Worthington  Mills,  half  a  mile  in  advance 
of  the  main  body. 

On  the  night  of  the  12th,  the  British  bivouacked  in  advance 
of  the  battle  ground,  and  on  the  13th  commenced  their  march 
towards  tne  city.  When  within  two  miles  of  the  American 
lines  they  halted  to  await  the  result  of  the  attack  on  Fort 
M*Henrj.  This  fortress  defends  the  narrow  passage  from 
the  Patapsco  into  Baltimore  harbour,  two  miles  below  the 
city,  and  its  command  had  been  entrusted  to  Major  Armistead, 
witfi  one  thousand  men.  Fort  Covington,  on  the  i^^ht  of 
Foii  M'Henry,  was  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Newcojnb 
On  i  16  12th,  a  British  squadron  of  sixteen  ships  drew  up  ii 


Wlien  aii  the  British  arrive  at  the 

mouUi     the  Patapsco  ? 
With  ^k'iit  force? 
Who  im  MaelMd  to  aiMt  them  ? 


What  followed  ? 
What  was  done  on  the  13tl^ 
What  forts  were  bombarded  t 
Who  commanded  them  / 


HBH  CONNECTICUT  AND  MAINE  INVADfcO. 

line  of  battle  within  two  mil  s  and  a  half  of  the  forts,  and  h 
sunrise  on  the  /3th,  commenced  an  attack  on  them  witk 
bombs  and  rockets.  Twelve  hundred  men  were  detached  ti 
storm  the  works  on  the  succeeding  night,  and  the  battle  raged 
with  great  fury  till  the  morning  of  the  14th,  when  the  assail- 
ants, being  completely  foiled,  were  compelled  to  retire,  and 
the  squ-adron  sailed  down  the  river.  Their  example  wa8 
speedily  followed  by  the  army,  who  had  sanguinely  anticipa- 
ted the  capture  ami  plunder  of  Baltimore.  The  whole  fleet 
soon  after  left  Chesapeake  bay  for  the  south. 

While  the  central  parts  of  the  American  seaboard  weie 
guffering  these  attacks  from  the  British,  the  towns  on  the 
coast  of  New  England  were  not  spared.  On  the  7th  of  April 
a  detachment  from  the  blockading  squadron  in  Long  Island 
Sound  ascended  the  Connecticut  river  to  Pettipaug  Point,  and 
burned  twenty-two  vessels  which  had  been  moored  there  aa 
a  place  of  safety.  The  village  was  set  on  fire  in  several 
places,  but  the  flames  were  extinguished  by  the  inhabitants. 

On  the  9th  of  August,  another  detachment  from  the  same 
squadron  appeared  ofi"  Stonington  Point  and  commenced 
bombardment  of  the  village.  The  militia  of  the  neighbour 
hood,  having  assembled  in  considerable  numbers  with  artil- 
lery, made  so  gallant  a  defence  that  the  British  were  compelled 
on  the  11th  to  give  up  the  contest  and  retire. 

The  extensive  seaboard  of  the  state  of  Maine,  by  its  de 
fenceless  state  and  its  vicinity  to  the  British  provinces,  oflered 
an  easy  conquest  to  the  enemy.  On  the  11th  of  July  a 
squadron  under  Commodore  Hardy,  with  twelve  hundred 
troops,  took  possession  of  Eastport,  on  Moose  Island,  erected 
fortifications,  and  required  the  people  to  take  the  oath  of  alle- 
giance to  his  Britannic  majesty,  or  quit  the  island.  Having 
accomplished  this  object,  the  commodore  returned  to  his 
station  oflf  New  London 

On  the  1st  of  September  an  expedition  under  Sir  John 
Sherbrooke,  governor  of  Nova  Scotia,  and  Admiral  Griffith, 
with  40  sail  and  several  thousand  troops,  entered  the  Penoh- 
«cot  river  and  took  possession  of  Castine.  They  next  sent 
a  detachment  of  600  men  to  Belfast,  and  having  received  the 
surrender  of  that  place,  proceeded  35  miles  up  the  river  io 
Hampden,  to  which  place  the  American  frigate  Adams  hhd 


VThen  was    an  assault  made  on 

them  ? 
W^ith  what  success  ? 
What  followed  ? 

What  was  done  bj  the  British  on  the 
7thof  AprU? 


On  the  9th  of  August  ? 

On  the  11th  of  July? 

When  was  Maine  invaded  bj  %if 

John  Sherbrooke  f 
What  place  did  he  first  take  f 
Relate  the  affair  of  the  Adaai# 


HARTFORD  CONVENTiON. 


3«7 


retired  on  their  approach.  The  militia  had  assembled  in 
considerable  numbers,  but  fled  on  the  approacii  of  the  enemy 
Captain  Morris  was  therefore  compelled  to  blow  up  this  ship, 
destroy  his  stores,  and  retire  with  his  crew  to  Portsmouth. 
The  British  commanders  having  taken  possession  of  the  prin- 
cipal towns  on  the  coast,  published  their  proclamation 
Castine,  declaring  the  conquest  of  all  the  country  east  of  the 
Penobscot  to  Passamaquoddy  Bay,  and  requiring  the  submis 
won  of  the  people  to  the  British  government.  The  territory 
thus  occupied  comprehends  42  flourishing  towns — nearly  one- 
kalf  of  the  state  of  Maine. 

The  ravages  of  the  British  extended  to  the  coast  of  Massa- 
chusetts. The  people  of  Cape  Cod  were  reduced  to  great 
distress,  being  prohibited  from  fishing  on  the  banks  ;  the  in- 
habitants of  Nantucket  were  compelled  to  promise  neutrality 
during  the  remainder  of  the  war,  and  the  other  islands  on  the 
seaboard  being  entirely  unprotected,  were  under  the  necessity 
of  submitting  to  such  terms  as  the  British  naval  commanders 
chose  to  dictate. 

The  opposition  to  the  measures  of  government  in  New 
England  became  more  decided  than  ever  at  this  period  of  the 
war.  In  Massachusetts  it  was  even  proposed  to  withhold  the 
-evenue  of  the  state  from  the  national  treasury,  and  apply  it 
to  the  purposes  of  local  defence.  A  convention  of  delegates 
was  assembled  at  Hartford  for  the  purpose  of  taking  into 
eonsideration  the  measures  which  might  be  deemed  necessary 
"or  self  defence,  and  the  redress  of  their  alleged  grievances. 
To  compose  this  assembly  members  were  appointed  by  the 
legislatures  of  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  and  Rhode  Island; 
and  two  from  New  Hampshire,  and  one  from  Vermont,  re- 
ceived their  appointment  from  county  meetings.  The  session 
commenced  December  15th,  1814,  and  lasted  three  weeks 
heir  deliberations  being  conducted  with  closed  doors.  On 
adjourning,  the  convention  put  forth  an  address,  charging  the 
general  government  with  pursuing  a  system  of  measures  un- 
friendly to  the  interests  of  New  England,  and  recommending 
amendments  to  the  federal  constitution.  A  committee  was 
despatched  to  Washington  to  confer  with  the  national  govern- 
ment on  the  subject  of  applying  the  revenue  of  New  England 
to  its  defence ;  but  the  arrival  of  the  news  of  peace  arrested 
all  further  proceedings. 


What  portion  of  Maine  was  occupied 

by  the  British  ? 
W^hat  was  done  on  the  c  mst  of  Mas- 

sarhuscttj  ? 


What  is  said  of  Cape  Cod  * 
Of  Nantucket  and  the  other  islands  ? 
What  is  said  of  the  Hartford  coDven- 
tion  f 


99S  THE  BRITISH  EXPELLED  FROM  FLORIDA. 


The  Spanish  authorities  at  Pensacola,  who  had  encouraged 
ne  Indians  in  their  hostilities  since  the  commencement  of  the 
war,  now  afforded  the  same  encouragement  to  the  British 
On  the  25th  of  August  three  British  ships  of  war  arrived 
there,  and  landed  military  stores  and  provisions,  and  300 
troops,  which  were  conducted  to  the  Spanish  fort.  Colonel 
Nicholls,  the  commander,  then  published  an  address  to  the 
Dative  inhabitants  of  Louisiana,  calling  on  them  to  unite  with 
the  British  in  expelling  the  Americans  from  the  south.  This 
address,  however,  had  very  little  effect.  The  enemy's  army 
at  Penspcola  was  supplied  with  provisions  from  New  Orleans 
by  a  direct  commerce.  General  Jackson,  who  had  the  com- 
mand of  the  military  district  including  Tennessee,  Louisiana, 
and  the  Mississippi  territory,  immediately  arrested  the  inter- 
course between  Pensacola  and  New  Orleans,  and  prohibited 
all  commerce  between  the  two  places. 

On  the  island  of  Barrataria  near  the  mouth  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, a  horde  of  pirates  had  established  themselves,  and 
were  committing  depredations  on  the  commerce  of  all  nations. 
As  their  force  was  considerable,  the  British  commander  at 
Pensacola  endeavoured  to  engage  them  in  the  service  of  the 
British,  but  his  offers  were  declined.  The  Americans  took  a 
more  summary  course  with  the  pirates.  Commodore  Patter- 
son commandant  of  the  American  squadron  at  New  Orleans, 
attacked  them  with  gun  boats,  and  other  small  craft  on  the 
16th  of  September,  and  compelling  them  to  seek  safety  in 
flight,  captured  their  whole  fleet  of  cruisers  and  prizes,  and 
conducted  them  safely  to  New  Orleans. 

On  the  15th  of  September,  the  British  sent  an  expedition 
from  Pensacola  against  Fort  Boyer  on  Mobile  Point  at  the 
entrance  of  the  bay  ;  which  was  defeated  with  the  loss  of  a 
ship  of  war,  and  a  considerable  number  of  killed  and  wounded. 
The  whole  armament  then  returned  to  Pensacola* 

The  establishment  of  the  British  at  this  post  was  so  inju- 
rious to  the  United  States,  that  General  Jackson  determined 
on  his  own  responsibility  to  dislodge  them.  Accordingly,  on 
on  the  6th  of  November,  he  appeared  before  Pensacola  with 
three  regiments  of  regular  infantry  and  a  large  body  of  militia, 
and  sent  a  flag  to  the  governor,  which  was  fired  upon  and  com- 


Where  did  the  British  find  shelter  and 

encouragement  P 
Whence  did  they  draw  supplies  ? 
Who  put  a  «tip  to  this  intercourse  ? 
Who  offered  alliance  to  the  pirates  ? 
Who  conquered  ajd  expelled  them  ? 


Relate  the  affair  of  Fort  B03  er. 
Why  did  General  Jackson  determini 

to  dislodge  the  British  from  Penia 

cola  ? 

Give  an  accouD^-  of  hit  procetdinict 


OBN£KAL  JACKSON  ARRIVES  AT  NEW  ORLEANS.  389 

pelled  to  return.  General  Jackson  then  attacked  the  foitand 
carried  it  after  a  smart  action,  and  compelled  the  British  to 
retreat  to  their  shipping ;  their  escape  being  effected  only  by 
the  blowing  up  of  Barancas^  a  valuable  fortress  belonging  to 
the  Spaniards. 

The  British  had  for  some  time  been  preparing  for  an  ex^ 
pedition  against  New  Orles^ns.  The  fleet  lately  employed  in 
the  Chesapeake,  and  the  whole  British  for^e  which  could  he 
•pared  from  the  Atlantic  coast,  had  been  assembled  at  Jamaica 
and  at  Bermuda,  to  prepare  for  thiS  grand  attempt.  Large  re- 
inforcements had  been  ordered  from  England,  under  General 
Packenham,  furnished  not  only  with  the  means  of  war,  but 
with  printing  presses,  and  custom-house  and  civil  officers,  and 
every  thing  incident  to  a  permanent  establishment.  Indeed, 
so  certain  were  the  enemy  of  accomplishing  their  object,  that 
there  were  merchants  on  board  the  fleet  who  went  out  for  the 
purpose  of  buying  the  cotton  which  was  to  compose  a  part  of 
the  coveted  plunder. 

On  the  20th  of  November,  this  formidable  armament,  con- 
sisting of  sixty  vessels  with  eight  thousand  troops,  sailed  from 
the  West  Indies,  and  on  the  18th  of  November  arrived  at  the 
entrance  of  Lake  Borgne.  On  the  2d  of  December,  General 
Jackson  with  the  regular  troops  from  the  Mobile  and  Missis- 
sippi territory,  arrived  at  New  Orleans,  and  immediately  com- 
menced a  system  of  efficient  measures  for  its  defence.  The 
militia  of  Louisiana  and  Mississippi  were  ordered  out  en 
masse,  and  large  detachments  from  Tennessee  and  Kentucky. 
From  Governor  Claiborne  of  Louisiana,  General  Jackson  had 
previously  learnt  that  the  city  corps  had  for  the  most  part  re 
fused  to  turn  out  on  the  requisition  of  General  Flournc^,  that 
the  legislature  of  the  state,  then  in  session,  had  encouraged 
khem  in  their  disobedience,  and  that  among  the  citizens  there 
were  many  disaffected  to  the  government  of  the  United  States 
and  friendly  to  the  British. 

Finding  on  his  arrival  in  the  city  that  this  information  wai 
correct,  and  that  the  most  imminent  danger  was  threatened  by 
the  presence  and  influence  of  the  disaffected.  General  Jackson 
after  consulting  with  the  governor  and  other  leading  citizens, 
on  the  16th  of  December,  issued  an  order,  declaring  the  city 
and  environs  of  New  Orleans  to  be  under  strict  martial  law 
The  rigid  police  which  this  measure  enabled  him  to  exert. 


What  preparations  were  made  ft  r  an  I  Who  took  the  command  at  NeT? 

attack  on  New  Orleans  ?  I     Orleans  ? 

When  did  the  British  arrive  ^  |  Why  did  he  declare  martial  law  # 

83* 


890 


CAPTURE  OF  THE  FLOTILLA. 


»oou  freed  lue  city  from  the  spies  and  traitors  with  which  il 
had  abounded ;  and  the  citizens  addressed  themselves  earnestly 
to  the  business  of  preparing  for  the  vigorous  defence  of  the 
city  The  fortifications  were  strengthened,  and  every  man 
who  could  bear  arms  was  required  to  take  a  part  in  the  mill 
tary  operations  on  which  the  safety  of  all  depended.  . 

Fort  St.  Philip,  which  guarded  the  passage  of  the  river  a 
Detour  la  Plaquemine  was  strengthened  and  placed  under  the 
command  of  Major  Overton.  An  extensive  line  of  works  wa 
erected  four  miles  below  the  city,  on  the  east  bank  of  the 
Mississippi,  the  right  resting  on  the  river,  and  the  left  reach- 
ing to  an  impenetrable  cypress  swamp.  A  ditch  which  had 
been  dug  for  agricultural  objects,  between  the  river  and  the 
swamp,  was  now  made  use  of  for  an  important  military  pur- 
pose. On  its  northern  bank  entrenchments  were  thrown  up, 
and  large  quantities  of  cotton  bales  were  so  arranged  as  to 
protect  the  troops  effectually  from  the  enemy's  fire.  These 
works  were  well  mounted  with  artillery.  Opposite  this  posi- 
tion, on  the  west  bank  of  the  river.  General  Morgan  with  a 
body  of  militia  was  stationed,  and  near  him  Commodore  Pat- 
terson with  the  crews  and  guns  of  part  of  his  squadron ;  en- 
filading the  approach  of  the  enemy  against  the  principal 
works.  A  detachment  was  stationed  above  the  town  to  guard 
the  pass  of  the  Bayou  St.  John.  These  dispositions  having 
been  made  for  the  defence  of  the  city,  the  approach  of  the 
enemy  was  firmly  awaited. 

To  clear  the  way  for  the  transportation  of  their  troops  by 
boats,  the  British  first  sent  forward  forty  launches  filled  with 
men,  who  attacked,  and  after  a  desperate  resistance,  captured 
and  destroyed,  the  American  flotilla  stationed  on  lakes  Borgnc 
and  Pontchartrain,  consisting  of  five  gun  boats  and  a  small 
sloop  and  schooner.  Having  thus  obtained  possession  of  the 
lakes,  on  the  22d  of  December  a  detachment  was  sent  from 
their  rendezvous,  at  Ship  Island,  to  the  Bayou  Bienvenue, 
and  having  effected  a  landing  unobserved,  were  marching 
towards  the  city.  General  Jackson  having  been  apprised  of 
their  approach,  marched  out  and  attacked  them  on  the  night 
of  the  23d,  while  they  lay  in  absolute  security,  seeing  no  one 
to  oppose  them  or  prevent  their  marching  into  the  city.  He 
sent  two  armed  schooners  to  operate  against  them  on  the 


What  was  the  effect  of  this  measure  ? 
What  preparations  were  made  for  the 

defence  of  the   city  at  Fort  St. 

Philip  ? 

On  the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi  ? 


On  the  west  bank  ? 
Above  the  city  ? 

Eelate  the  aflair  of  the  gunboats. 
The  action  of  the  23d  of  December. 


BATTLE  OF  NEW  ORLEANS. 


391 


flank,  and  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  day  he  moved  down 
to  attack  the  enemy  with  a  force  of  about  fifteen  hundred 
men.  As  his  advance  approached  the  camp  of  General 
Keane,  the  guns  of  the  schooner  Carolina  startled  the  British 
from  their  security.  Keane  made  the  best  disposition  of  his 
troops  in  the  darkness ;  but  his  left  was  driven  in  by  the 
New  Orleans  militia,  and  Coffee  with  his  Tennesseeans  not 
only  routed  his  left,  but  drove  back  his  reserve.  For  two 
hours  the  battle  raged  till  all  order  and  discipline  were  lost 
on  the  British  side.  Had  not  reinforcements  reached  them 
from  the  fleet,  the  whole  force  might  have  been  captured. 

Learning  caution  from  this  lesson,  the  British  forces 
entrenched  at  Bien venue,  four  miles  from  the  American 
camp.  The  armed  schooners  Caroline  and  Louisiana,  drop- 
ped down  the  river  from  the  city,  and  opened  a  fire  on  the 
British  lines.  On  the  27th,  the  Caroline  got  aground,  and 
was  set  on  fire  and  destroyed  by  the  hot  shot  of  the  enemy 
The  Louisiana  succeeded  in  getting  out  of  the  reach  of  theii 
batteries. 

On  the  28th  the  British  advanced  within  half  a  mile  of  the 
ALmerican  lines,  and  opened  a  fire  of  shells  and  rockets,  bu 
were  repulsed  by  the  artillery.  On  the  night  of  the  3 1st,  they 
came  within  600  yards  of  the  works,  erected  three  batteries 
and  opened  a  heavy  fire.  Under  cover  of  these  batteries  they 
attempted  three  times  to  storm  the  works,  but  were  repulsed 
and  their  batteries  being  silenced  they  returned  to  their  former 
position. 

The  final  assault  was  reserved  for  the  8th  of  January.  To 
ensure  its  success  it  was  deemed  necessary  to  order  a  simul- 
taneous attack  to  be  made  on  the  main  works,  and  on  the 
position  of  General  Morgan  and  Commodore  Patterson  west 
of  the  river.  Colonel  Thornion  v/as  detached  for  the  latter 
service,  with  500  men,  and  soon  eifected  a  landing.  Colonel 
Davis,  with  300  Kentucky  militia,  being  ordered  to  the  water's 
edge  to  oppose  them,  was  soon  put  to  flight,  and  the  Loui» 
siana  militia,  under  General  Morgan,  also  fled,  deserting  theii 
oattery.  Commodore  Patterson's  battery  being  thus  left  un- 
supported,  his  crews  were  obliged  to  yield  to  a  superior  force  i 
but  the  resistance  which  they  were  able  to  make,  detained 
the  British  until  the  contest  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  was 
nearly  over. 


What  took  place  on  the  27th  ? 
On  the  28th  ?   On  the  31st  ? 
What  wa?  the  plan  of  operations  for 
tLeSth? 


What  was  the  Biitish  plan  of  attack 
How  did  they  succeoi  ou  tht  wm 
bank  ? 


193 


BATTLE  OF  NEW  ORLEANS. 


Willie  these  operations  were  going  forward  3ii  the  weai 
bank  of  the  river,  the  decisive  action  was  fought  on  the  oppo- 
site side.  At  daybreak  on  the  8th,  the  main  body  of  the 
British,  unler  General  Packenham,  advanced  from  their  en- 
campment to  storm  the  American  lines.  A  battery  which 
they  had  erected  the  evening  before,  within  800  yards,  opened 
a  jfire  to  protect  their  advance.  They  came  on  in  two  columns, 
ihe  left  column  along  the  levee  against  the  American  right, 
and  the  right  column  advancing  to  the  swamp  for  the  purpose 
of  turning  General  Jackson's  left.  When  they  had  approached 
within  300  yards  of  the  lines,  forty  pieces  of  artillery  from 
the  American  works,  opened  upon  them  a  destructive  fire  of 
grape  shot  and  musket  balls,  and  mowed  them  down  by 
hundreds,  while  the  riflemen  taking  deliberate  aim,  made 
nearly  every  shot  take  effect.  Through  this  destructive  fire 
the  British  left  column  rushed  on  with  their  fascines  and 
scaling  ladders,  and  carried  the  advanced  bastion  of  the  Ame- 
rican right;  but  being  unsupported,  and  assailed  by  the  bat- 
tery planted  in  the  rear,  and  a  regiment  of  riflemen  brought 
up  for  the  purpose,  they  were  driven  from  the  ground  with 
immense  loss  of  lives.  The  right  column  of  the  British 
having  attempted  to  pass  into  the  swamp  for  the  purpose  of 
turning  the  American  left,  were  prevented  from  effecting  their 
object  by  the  nature  of  the  ground,  and  being  exposed  to  the 
fire  from  the  batteries,  were  compelled  to  retire.  The  assaull 
continued  an  hour  and  a  quarter,  during  which  the  British 
were  exposed  to  the  destructive  fire  from  the  American 
artillery  and  musketry,  while  the  breast- works  of  cotton  bales, 
which  no  balls  could  penetrate,  afforded  a  perfect  protec- 
tion to  their  opponents.  General  Packenham  was  mortally 
wounded ;  General  Gibbs,  the  second  in  command,  also 
received  a  mortal  wound ;  and  General  Keane,  the  third  in 
35ommand,  was  wounded  so  severely  as  to  be  incapable  of 
performing  his  duties  of  commander. 

At  8  o'clock  the  British  retreated  to  theii  works.  Th^ 
militia  were  anxious  to  pursue  them,  but  General  Jackson 
prudently  determined  not  to  risk  the  loss  of  the  city  by  so 
rash  a  proceeding.  Of  the  troops  which  the  British  had 
brought  into  the  field,  700  were  killed,  1 ,400  wounded,  and 
500  captured,  making  a  total  loss  of  2,600.    The  Americans 


Describe  the  opening  of  the  miin  I  How  long  did  the  assault  last  f 

battle  of  the  8th  of  January.  |  Who  feU  ? 

The  operations  on  Jacks .>ci's  left  ?     !  What  was  the  result  t 
On  his  rigat  f  t 


PEACE  OF  GHENT. 


393 


lost  6  killed,  and  7  wounded.  Of  General  Morgan's  detach' 
ment  on  the  west  bank,  and  of  a  party  sent  on  a  sortie  on  the 
British  lines,  49  were  killed,  and  178  wounded. 

The  British  kept  up  the  appearance  of  renewing  the  attack, 
and  on  the  9th  commenced  a  bombardment  of  Fort  St.  Philip, 
which  was  continued  till  the  17th,  and  sustained  by  Major 
Overton  and  his  garrison  with  but  trifling  loss.  This,  how- 
ever, was  merely  a  feint  to  cover  their  final  retreat,  which  took 
place  on  the  16th  of  January  under  the  direction  of  General 
Lambert. 

While  the  whole  country  was  electrified  with  the  news  of 
this  important  victory,  intelligence  was  received  from  Europe 
of  the  conclusion  of  a  treaty  of  peace  by  the  commissioners 
assembled  at  Ghent.  The  treaty  had  been  signed  on  the  24th 
of  December,  and  ratified  by  the  Prince  Regent  of  England  on 
the  27th.  It  was  received  in  the  United  States  on  the  11th, 
and  ratified  on  the  17th  of  February  by  the  President  and 
senate.  Tne  pacification  of  Europe  in  1814  had  removed  all 
the  real  grounds  of  war  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United 
States,  by  rendering  the  interruption  of  American  commerce 
and  the  impressment  of  seamen  unnecessary  for  promoting 
the  objects  of  the  British  government.  The  conquests  on 
both  sides  were  restored ;  and  provision  was  made  for  settling 
the  boundaries  between  the  United  States  and  Canada,  which 
have  ever  since  been  a  subject  o  tiation. 

A  treaty  to  regulate  the  com  uerce  between  the  two  coun- 
tries was  signed  at  London  on  the  3d  of  July,  and  ratified  by 
the  President  on  the  22d  ot  December 

The  Algerines  having  taken  the  opportunity,  cfforded  by 
the  war  with  Great  Britain,  to  make  depredations  on  American 
commerce,  war  was  declared  against  them  in  March,  1815^ 
and  a  squadron  under  the  command  of  Commodore  Bain- 
bridge  was  sent  out  to  chastise  them.  The  squadron  in  the 
Mediterranean  under  Commodore  Decatur,  after  capturing 
some  of  their  ships,  appeared  before  Algiers  and  speedily 
compelled  the  Dey  to  sign  a  treaty  relinquishing  all  future 
claims  for  tribute  from  the  United  States.  On  the  arrival  of 
Commodore  Bainbridge,  arrangements  were  made  with  thf 
regencies  of  Tunis  and  Tripoli  which  afforded  security  tf 


The  loss  on  each  side  ? 

How  long  did  the  British  remain  after 

the  battle  of  the  8th  ? 
What  intelligence  came  from  Europe  ? 
V  hen  was  the  treaty  ratified  ? 
^^hat  were  some  ef  its  prjvisions  i 


When  was  a  commercial  treats 
signed  ? 

What  is  said  of  the  Algerines  ? 
When  was  war  declared  a^jainit  tlieUL 
How  was  the  aflair  fermina<ed  / 


894 


UNITED  STATES  BANK  CHARTERED. 


the  A^merican  commerce  from  the  depredations  cf  fiarbary 
cruisers. 

The  charter  of  the  Bank  of  the  United  States  instituted 
during  Washington's  administration,  having  expired  in  1811, 
and  a  new  one  being  called  for  by  the  commercial  interest,  a 
national  bank  was  established  by  congress,  in  1816,  with  a 
charter  for  twenty  years.  Treaties  of  peace  were  concluded 
with  the  Choctawft,  Chickasaws,  Cherokees,  and  other  Indian 
tribes,  by  which  a  large  accession  was  made  to  the  public 
ands  of  the  United  States. 

President  Madison's  second  term  of  office  being  about  to 
expire,  an  election  was  held  in  the  autumn  of  1816,  which 
gave  the  first  office  in  the  nation  to  James  Monroe,  and  thai 
of  vice-president  to  Daniel  D.  Tompkins,  of  New  York. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

ADMINISTRATION  OF  JAMES  MONROE. 

The  change  of  administration  made  no  apparent  difference 
m  the  policy  of  government.  Its  attention  was  chiefly  directed 
to  the  south.  The  Union  was  not  considered  complete  without 
the  acquisition  of  Florida.  Spain,  against  whom  almost  all 
her  trans-Allantic  possessions  were  in  full  revolt,  kept  but  a 
feeble  hold  of  these  countries.  The  government  of  the  United 
States  endeavoured  to  obtain  them  in  exchange  for  pecuniary 
claims  ;  and  not  to  alarm  the  pride  of  Spain,  preserved  a  strict 
neutrality  between  the  mother  country  and  her  revolted 
colonies. 

Spain,  however,  hesitated  to  render  up  what  remained  to 
Ler  of  Florida.  Some  adventurers  from  the  insurgent  colo- 
nies, in  the  mean  time,  took  possession  of  Amelia  Island,  oflT 
their  eastern  coast,  and  seemed  determined  to  convert  it  into 
a  strong  hold  for  buccaneering,  for  carrying  on  a  commerce  in 
slaves,  and  for  tampering  with  the  Indians.  The  American 
government  drove  out  the  occupants  and  destroyed  their  esta 
blishment. 


When  was  the  United  States  Bank 

chartered  r 
For  how  long  a  period  ? 
With  whom  were  treaties  concluded  ? 
swcc^eded  pvesident  Madison  i 


What  territory  did  the  United  Statei 

wish  to  acquire  ? 
What  island  was  taken  pos^ewioii  9if 
For  what  reasciD  ? 
Vho  captzired  it. } 


SEMINOLE  WAR. 


In  the  following  year,  1818,  an  occasion  was  presented  foi 
Mking  possession  of  the  main  land  of  Florida.  The  Seminole 
Indians,  within  the  Spanish  territory,  having  made  hostile 
incursions  on  the  neighbouriEg  states,  General  Jackson,  cona- 
manding  the  forces  of  the  south,  was  ordered  to  reduce  them, 
but  not  to  enter  Florida  except  in  pursuit  of  an  enemy. 

In  addition  to  the  regular  force  under  his  command,  h« 
raised  an  army  of  volunteers,  and  pursued  the  Indians  into 
Florida.  Two  Englishmen,  Arbuthnot  and  Ambrister,  having 
fallen  into  his  hands,  were  accused  of  being  engaged  in  incit- 
ing the  Indian  hostilities,  tried  by  court  martial,  and  executed^ 
The  general,  being  satisfied  that  the  Spanish  garrisons  gave 
aid  and  protection  to  the  Indians,  marched  to  Pensacola,  the 
capital,  and  expelling  the  Spanish  authorities,  took  possession 
of  the  place. 

For  this  occupation  of  a  neutral  territory  General  Jacksoi? 
was  called  to  account  by  congress  ;  and  the  whole  conduct  of 
the  Seminole  war  was  made  the  subject  of  investigation  by  a 
committee  appointed  for  the  purpose,  who  drew  up  a  report 
strongly  inculpating  the  general.  He  was  defended  by  the 
government  party.  Debate  ran  high,  and  divisions  upon  the 
several  questions  were  nearly  equal.  The  friends  of  the 
accused,  however,  succeeded  in  carrying  his  complete  excul- 
pation. 

Spain  was  in  no  condition  to  dispute  the  claims  or  conduct 
of  the  United  States.  Her  minister,  in  the  following  year, 
even  signed  a  treaty  in  which  the  cession  of  Florida  was  sti- 
pulated. But  King  Ferdinand  refused  to  ratify  it,  sending  an 
envoy  to  make  complaints  on  different  points,  principally 
with  respect  to  encroachments  upon  the  Mexican  province  of 
Texas.  Ere  the  period  of  Mr.  Monroe's  presidency  expired, 
however,  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  finally  negotiating  the 
acquisition  of  the  Floridas,  on  which  he  congratulated  congress 
in  1821,  This  diplomatic  difliculty  being  removed,  the  in 
dependence  of  the  South  American  republics  was  recognised 
by  their  elder  sister  of  the  north,  in  the  ensuing  year. 

While  thus  completing  itself  in  the  south,  the  territory  of 
the  United  States  proper  was  extending  itself  westward  to  and 
beyond  the  Mississippi.    Illinois  had  just  been  admitted  mto 


What  Indians  showed  hostility  ? 
Who  was  ordered  to  chastise  them  ? 
How  did  he  execute  the  commission  ? 
Whom  did  he  pimish  ? 
How  did  he  treat  the  Spaniards  ? 
By  whom  was  he  called  to  account  f 
What  wa«  the  result  i 


What  is  said  of  Spain  ? 

When  was  Florida  ceded  to  the  Uni- 
ted States  ? 

When  were  the  South  American  re- 
publics recognised  ? 

What  state  had  ^ust  been  admitted 
into  th%  Union  } 


396 


MISSOURI  QUSSTIOH. 


Ihe  Union,  and  Missouri  demanded  also  to  be  erected  into  t 
stale.  This  gave  occasion  to  very  animated  discussions  m 
jongress,  the  northern  members  being  desirous  to  deny  to  the 
people  of  this  state  the  privilege  of  owning  slaves,  and  the 
fouthern  members  being  equally  anxious  to  grant  them  this 
aoon.  The  state  w^s  finally  admitted  by  a  sort  of  compro- 
mise respecting  future  applications  of  the  same  nature. 

The  Missouri  question  had  hardly  subsided,  when  anothei 
subject  of  contention  arose,  not  less  calculated  to  array  the 
southern  against  the  northern  interests.  This  was  the  tariff. 
Ere  this,  however,  became  the  absorbing  topic  of  debate,  a 
change  of  administration  took  place.  In  March,  1825,  Mr. 
Monroe's  second  term  of  office  expired.  The  election  of  a 
successor,  not  having  been  effected  by  the  people  on  account 
of  the  large  number  of  candidates,  devolved  upon  the  house 
of  representatives.  By  their  vote  John  Quincy  Adams  was 
declared  president.  Mr.  Calhoun  had  been  elected  vice-pre 
sident  by  the  people. 

The  period  of  Mr.' Monroe's  administration  was  signalised 
by  the  remarkable  visit  of  General  la  Fayette  to  the  United 
States,  which  will  long  be  remembered  as  the  triumph  of  na- 
tional gratitude.  It  lasted  more  than  a  year,  during  which  he 
traversed  the  principal  part  of  the  Union,  and  was  everywhere 
received  with  the  most  lively  demonstrations  of  welcome  and 
attachment.  Before  his  return  to  France,  congress  voted  him 
the  sum  of  200,000  dollars,  and  a  township  of  land,  as  a  re- 
muneration, in  part,  for  his  services  during  the  revolutionary 
war,  and  as  a  testimony  of  their  gratitude. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

ADMINISTRATION  OF  JOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS. 

The  new  president  was  inaugurated  March  4th,  1825 
His  address  on  this  occasion  has  been  admired,  both  in  this 


What  state  applied  for  admission  ? 
Why  was  her  claim  disputed  ? 
How  did  the  affair  terminate  ? 
WhsA  W2i3  the  next  subject  of  dispute 

in  congreis  ? 
W]io  f  ucceeded  Mr.  Monroe  f 


When  did  La  Fayette  visit  the  Unites 

States  ? 

"What  reception  did  he  meet  with  ? 
What  was  voted  by  congress  ? 
When  was  Mi  Adams  inaufuraM  * 


MR.  ADAM8*8  ADDRESS. 


897 


country  and  in  Europe,  as  a  master-piece  in  dignity  and 
style.* 

'  The  president,  in  his  address  on  this  occasion,  said,  in 
unfolding  to  his  countrymen  the  principles  by  which  he 
should  be  governed  in  the  fulfilment  of  his  official  luties,  his 
first  resort  should  be  to  that  constitution  which  he  should 
•wear,  to  the  best  of  his  ability,  to  preserve,  protect,  and 
defend.  "  That  revered  instrument  enumerates  the  powers 
and  prescribes  the  duties  of  the  executive  magistrate;  and,  in 
its  first  words,  declares  the  purposes  to  which  these,  and  the 
whole  action  of  the  government,  instituted  by  it,  should  be 
invariably  and  sacredly  devoted — to  form  a  more  perfect  union, 
establish  justice,  ensure  domestic  tranquillity,  provide  for  the 
common  defence,  promote  the  general  welfare,  and  secure  the 
blessings  of  liberty  to  the  people  of  this  Union,  in  their  suc- 
cessive generations."  Having  recited  what  had  been  done  by 
the  government  in  the  compass  of  thirty-six  years  since  this 
great  national  covenant  was  instituted,  the  president  took  & 
retrospective  view  to  the  epoch  of  the  confederation.  "  The 
year  of  jubilee  since  the  first  formation  of  our  Union  has  just 
elapsed ;  that  of  the  declaration  of  our  independence  is  at  hana. 
The  consummation  of  both  was  effected  by  this  constitution. 
Since  that  period,  a  population  of  four  millions  has  multiplied 
to  twelve.  A  territory,  bounded  by  the  Mississippi,  has  been 
extended  from  sea  to  sea.  New  states  have  been  admitted  to 
the  Union,  in  numbers  nearly  equal  to  those  of  the  first  con- 
federation. Treaties  of  peace,  amity,  and  commerce,  have 
been  concluded  with  the'principal  dominions  of  the  earth.  The 
people  of  other  nations,  inhabitants  of  regions  acquired  not 
by  conquest,  but  by  compact,  have  been  united  with  us  in  the 
participation  of  our  rights  and  duties,  of  our  burdens  and  bles- 
sings." Notice  was  taken  of  the  progress  of  agriculture  and 
of  settlements,  of  commerce  and  arts,  of  liberty  and  law. 
The  great  features  of  the  administration  of  the  preceding  pre* 
iident  were  sketched.  '*  Under  the  pledge  of  these  promises 
made  by  that  eminent  citizen,  at  the  time  of  his  first  induction 
to  this  ofllice,  in  his  career  of  eight  years,  the  internal  taxes 
have  been  repealed ;  sixty  millions  of  the  public  debt  have 
been  discharged ;  provision  has  been  made  for  the  comfort 
and  relief  of  the  aged  and  indigent,  among  the  surviving  war- 

Wliat  was  said  by  the  president  in  his   Concerning  the  progress  of  tne  cotrn* 
address  concerning  the  constitution ?      try  ? 


*  The  succeeding  abstract  and  specimens  of  this  address  are  copied  boa 
I.  HoloMf'i  Annali  of  Amerka. 

34 


S98  LA  PAniTB. 

riors  of  the  re«rolution;  the  regular  armed  force  has  been 
reduced,  and  the  constitution  revised  and  perfected;  the 
accountability  for  the  expenditure  of  public  moneys  has 
been  made  more  effective ;  the  Floridas  have  been  peaceably 
acquired,  and  our  boundary  has  been  extended  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean  ;  the  independence  of  the  southern  nations  of  this 
hemisphere  has  been  recognised,  and  recommended,  by  ex- 
ample and  by  council,  to  the  potentates  of  Europe ;  progress 
has  been  made  in  the  defence  of  the  country,  by  fortifications 
and  the  increase  of  the  navy — towards  the  effectual  suppres- 
sion of  the  African  traflic  in  slaves — in  alluring  the  aboriginal 
hunters  of  our  land  to  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  and  of  the 
mind — in  exploring  the  interior  regions  of  the  Union,  and  in 
preparing,  by  scientific  researches  and  surveys,  for  the  further 
application  of  our  national  resources  to  the  internal  improve- 
ment of  our  country. — In  this  brief  outline  of  the  promise  and 
performance  of  my  predecessor,  the  line  of  duty,  for  his  suc- 
cessor, is  clearly  delineated.  To  pursue  to  their  consumma- 
tion those  purposes  of  improvement  in  our  common  condition, 
instituted  or  recommended  by  him,  will  embrace  the  whole 
sphere  of  my  obligations."  ' 

The  visit  of  General  la  Fayette  to  the  United  States,  which 
tiad  commenced  on  the  13th  of  August  of  the  preceding  year, 
lasted  through  the  summer  of  1825.  He  had  arrived  at  New 
York,  visited  New  England,  and  the  southern  and  western 
states,  and  wintered  in  Washington  during  the  session  of  con- 
gress. On  the  15th  of  June  he  arrived  in  Boston,  and  attended 
on  the  17th  of  the  same  month,  the  50th  anniversary  of  the 
battle  of  Bunker,  or  rather  Breed's  Hill,  and  assisted  at  the 
ceremony  of  laying  the  corner  stone  of  the  monument  since 
erected  in  commemoration  of  this  victory.  In  presence  of  th* 
assembled  concourse,  comprising  many  thousands  of  the  peo- 
ple of  New  England,  numerous  visiters  from  other  parts  of 
the  Union,  and  a  considerable  number  of  the  surviving  heroes 
of  the  battle,  an  address  was  delivered  by  Mr.  Webster,  whicn 
was  worthy  of  the  occasion  and  of  the  distinguished  orator 
In  September,  La  Fayette  took  his  departure  for  France,  in  a 
national  frigate  which  was  sent  out  expressly  to  convey  hirp 
to  the  land  of  his  birth. 

During  the  year  1825,  treaties  were  concluded  between  the 
United  States  and  the  Creeks,  Kansas  and  Osages,  by  which 


How  long  did  La  Fayette's  visit  to 
thii  couBtrj  last  ^ 

WHS  done  June  I7th.  1825  ? 


When  and  how  did  he  return  to 
France  f 

What  treati/»«  were  r*'**  '"^  * 


THE  TARIfF. 


89d 


large  tracts  of  the  Indian  lands  were  auded  to  the  already 
extensive  public  domain. 

In  1828,  a  treaty  of  friendship,  commerce  and  navigation, 
between  Denmark  and  the  United  States  was  concluded ;  and 
a  similar  treaty  was  also  ratified  between  our  government  and 
-he  federation  of  the  Centre  of  America. 

On  the  4th  of  July,  1826,  John  Adams  died  at  Quincy, 
Massachusetts,  in  the  91st  year  of  his  age;  and  on  the  same 
day,  Thomas  Jefferson  expired  at  Monticello,  in  Virginia,  m 
his  83d  year.  It  was  noticed  as  a  remarkable  coincidence 
that  these  distinguished  statesmen  and  patriots,  who  had  both 
taken  so  active  a  part  in  establishing  the  independence  of  the 
country,  and  had  each  sustained  its  highest  office,  shoula 
depart  this  life  on  the  day  which  completed  the  first  half 
century  since  they  had  signed  the  charter  of  its  freedom. 
*  Without  the  aid  of  panegyric,  of  painting,  or  of  sculpture,' 
says  an  American  historian,*  *  their  names  will  be  preserved 
in  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  interwoven  with  the 
history  of  the  United  States  ;  their  actions  will  present  their 
true  portraits  to  posterity  ;  and  the  respect  of  the  republic  to 
their  memory  will  be  their  noblest  monument.' 

The  Tariff  of  duties  for  the  protection  of  American  manu- 
factures, which  had  been  the  subject  of  debate  under  the 
administration  of  Mr.  Monroe,  was  again  brought  before 
congress  during  the  last  part  of  Mr.  Adams's  administration, 
and  in  1828  the  new  tariff  was  passed  which  rendered  the 
system  of  protection  the  settled  policy  of  the  country.  This 
act  was  considered  by  many  statesmen,  particularly  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  Union,  not  only  highly  oppressive  to  the 
great  mass  of  the  community,  and  injurious  to  commerce,  but 
m  direct  violation  of  the  constitution  itself. 

Mr.  Adams's  period  of  office  being  about  to  expire,  an 
election  was  held  in  the  autumn  of  1828,  which  gave  the 
^irst  office  in  the  republic  to  General  Andrew  Jackson.  Mr 
Calhoun  was  a  second  time  chosen  vice-president. 


fn  1826  ? 

JVTiat  was  said  respecting  John] Adams 

&Dd  Thomat  Jefferson  ? 
Whem.  wvLM  the  new  tariff  passed  ? 


What  is  said  concerning  it  ? 
When  was   General  Jackson  first 
chosen  president  ? 


Dr.  Holmet. 


400 


TRS4TY  WITH  ENGLAND* 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

ADMINISTRATION  OF  ANDREW  JACKSCN. 

It  is  a  difficult  task  to  write  the  history  of  an  administra 
tion  which  is  not  yet  closed.  The  impartial  awards  of  timtt 
are  necessary  in  order  to  pronounce  with  certainty  on  the 
characters  of  leading  men  or  the  tendency  of  important  mea- 
sures. Leaving  this  office  to  the  future  historian,  we  propose 
merely  to  glance  in  a  cursory  manner  at  the  principal  events 
which  have  distinguished  the  period  of  the  present  administra 
tion. 

As  the  political  party,  who  elected  President  Jackson,  had 
been  directly  opposed  to  the  supporters  of  Mr.  Adams,  the 
cahinet  was  changed  and  a  large  number  of  executive  officers 
were  removed,  and  new  ones  appointed,  immediately  after 
the  inauguration  of  the  new  president.  This  measure  oxcited 
considerable  clamour,  but  it  was  defended  by  an  appeal  to  the 
precedent  afforded  by  Mr.  Jefferson,  who  had  pursued  the 
same  course,  though  to  a  much  smaller  extent.  As  no  re- 
markable difference  was  apparent  in  the  general  policy  of  the 
government,  the  people  regarded  the  change  in  their  executive 
officers  with  little  solicitude. 

In  1830,  a  new  treaty  of  commerce  was  concluded  with 
Great  Britain  by  which  the  ports  of  that  power  in  the  West 
Indies,  South  America,  the  Bahama  Islands,  the  Caicos  and 
the  Bermudas  were  opened  to  the  vessels  of  the  United  States, 
and  our  ports  were  thrown  open  to  British  vessels  coming 
from  those  places.  The  conditions  of  this  treaty  and  the 
manner  in  which  it  has  been  permitted  to  take  effect  are  said 
to  have  given  the  carrying  trade  between  this  country  and  the 
West  Indies  chiefly  to  British  vessels. 

In  May,  1830,  a  treaty  between  the  United  States  and 
Turkey  was  signed  at  Constantinople,  securing  to  this  country 
the  free  navigation  of  the  Black  Sea  and  the  trade  jf  th« 
Turkish  empire. 

During  the  session  of  congress  which  commenced  in  the 
autumn  of  1831,  a  bill  was  brought  forward  for  granting  a 
new  charter  to  the  Bank  of  the  United  States,  the  old  chartei 
being  about  to  expire  in  1836.    After  a  long  and  animated 


Wktt  ehat/ecs  took  place  on  the  ac- 

ecfftion  of  the  new  president  ? 
Wk&t  treaty  wa&  concluded  in  1830  ? 


What  other  treaty  was   made  ie 
1830? 

When  was  the  bank  charter  retoed  - 


INDIAN  WAR. 


401 


aebfite  it  was  passed  by  a  small  majority.  On  reccjvin^i;  the 
oill  for  his  approbation  the  president  thought  proper  to  return 
it  to  congress  with  a  communication  in  which  his  reasons 
were  assigned  for  not  affixing  his  signature  to  the  bill.  As 
*he  constitutional  majority  for  passing  the  bill  into  a  law 
without  the  signature  of  the  president  could  not  be  obtained, 
the  bank  ceased  to  be  a  national  institution  at  the  expiration 
of  its  first  charter. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1832,  the  Winnebagoes  and  some 
other  neighbouring  tribes  of  Indians  commenced  a  series  of 
hostilities  against  the  inhabitants  on  the  north-western  frontier. 
A  body  of  regular  troops  under  the  command  of  General  Scott 
being  sent  against  the  Indians,  defeated  them,  and  on  the  27th 
of  August  captured  the  famous  chief  Black  Hawk.  This 
terminated  the  war.  Black  Hawk  and  a  number  of  his  Indian 
friends  were  taken  to  Washington,  and  several  other  cities  of 
the  Union,  in  order  to  impress  upon  them  such  an  idea  of  the 
strength  and  resources  of  the  country  as  to  prevent  the  Indians 
from  engaging  in  fresh  hostilities.  The  Indians  were  then 
permitted  to  return  to  their  own  territories. 

Congress  was  occupied  during  a  great  part  of  tiie  session, 
which  terminated  in  the  summer  of  1832,  in  discussing  a  new 
tariff  bill,  which  was  finally  passed.  Although  it  eflfected 
many  changes  in  the  protective  duties,  it  was  considered  highly 
favourable  to  the  American  manufacturer,  and  gave  general 
satisfaction  to  the  supporters  of  that  policy,  which  had  be- 
come so  popular  in  many  parts  of  the  Union,  as  to  be  called 
the  American  system.  In  several  of  the  southern  states,  it 
excited  the  most  determined  opposition.  The  state  of  South 
Carolina,  in  convention,  proceeded  so  far  as  to  pass  an  ordi- 
nance, openly  resisting  the  law,  and  the  people  actually 
began  to  arm  themselves  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  the 
ordinance  into  effect. 

Such  was  the  attitude  of  affairs  when  congress  assembled  in 
the  autumn  ^f  1832,  and  all  parties  were  anxiously^  awaiting 
the  result  of  the  threatened  collision  between  the  officers  of 
the  general  government  and  the  people  of  the  opposing  state. 

In  December  the  president  issued  a  proclamation,  in  whiek 
after  discussing  the  question  of  state  rigkts,  and  asserting  the 
right  and  power  of  the  general  government  to  regulate  com' 


6ive  ftn  account  of  Black  Hawk  and 

his  WftT. 

When  wa>  a  new  tariff  passed  ? 
What  was  its  chaiacter  ? 
^0  were  dissatisfied  with  it  ? 


What  course  was  adopted  by  Soutli 

Carolina  ? 
What  is  said  of  the  president's  pnr 

clamatioD  ? 


84» 


402 


OPPOSITION   rO  THK  TARIFF. 


merce  and  imposts,  he  exhorted  ^"le  people  of  South  Carolina 
*o  desist  from  their  opposition,  and  called  upon  the  citizen! 
of  the  United  States  to  support  him  in  the*  execution  of  the 

&W8. 

The  immediate  effect  of  this  proclamation  was  to  unite  all 
the  friends  of  the  Union  in  support  of  the  president.  Many 
of  his  warmest  political  opponents  declared  their  determina 
tion  to  give  him  their  aid  in  preserving  the  integrity  of  the 
Union,  and  asserting  the  supremacy  of  the  laws.  The 
government  and  people  of  South  Carolina,  however,  were 
by  no  means  intimidated  by  this  array  of  power.  They  still 
presented  a  bold  front;  and  Mr.  Calhoun,  one  of  their  leading 
statesmen,  having  resigned  the  office  of  vice-president,  and 
been  elected  to  the  United  States  senate,  took  his  seat  among 
the  members  of  that  body,  to  defend  the  position  assumed  by 
his  native  state. 

In  this  crisis,  congress  deemed  it  prudent  to  blend  concilia- 
tion with  menace,  and  to  alleviate  the  grievances  of  which  the 
nullifiers  complained.  With  this  view,  towards  the  close  of 
December,  1832,  a  bill  was  introduced  into  the  house  of  re- 
presentatives, substituting  for  the  obnoxious  tariff'a  new  and 
lower  rate  of  duties,  from  and  after  the  3d  of  March,  1833. 
This  bill  gave  satisfaction  to  neither  party  ;  and  while  it  was 
under  discussion,  another  bill  was  introduced  into  the  senate 
for  enforcing  the  collection  of  the  duties,  which  effectually 
armed  the  executive  for  the  support  of  the  revenue  laws. 
This  bill  was  ultimately  passed. 

When  a  considerable  portion  of  the  session  had  gone  by 
without  any  satisfactory  adjustment  of  this  alarming  dispute, 
Mr.  Clay,  the  same  statesman  who  had  effected  the  reconcilia- 
tion of  northern  and  southern  interests  in  the  Missouri  affair, 
brought  forward,  in  the  senate,  by  way  of  compromise,  a  new 
tariff  bill,  which  met  with  the  support  of  Mr.  Calhoun,  and 
*f  the  other  senators  from  the  southern  section  of  the  Union. 
It  provided  for  agradua.  reduction  of  the  duties;  thus  enabling 
the  manufacturers  to  prepare  for  the  change,  and  assuring  their 
opponents  of  ultimate  redress.  This  being  a  money  bill 
could  not  originate  in  the  senate  ;  but  having  been  favourably 
received  there  as  a  pledge  of  peace,  was  introduced,  by  way 
of  amendment,  into  the  tariff  bill  in  the  other  house,  and  being 
there  agreed  to,  it  was  ?ent  back  to  the  senate,  and  finally 


What  ^as  its  effect  ? 
What  was  done  by  c^riCTess  towards 
soMliatiD^  ^  cuUmers  ^ 


What  was  done  towards  enforcinf 

the  obnoxious  laws  ? 
What  was  proposed  by  Htfnry  Clay  Y 
What  was  the  character  of  hii  bill  i 


COMPROMISE  BILL. 


40i 


passed.  The  danger  of  disunion  and  civil  war  was  thus  com- 
pletely removed. 

The  session  of  congress  was  closed  on  the  3d  of  Marchy 
1833,  and  on  the  4th,  General  Jackson,  who  had  been  a 
second  time  elected  to  the  office  of  president,  in  the  autumn 
of  1832,  delivered  his  inaugural  address  in  the  hall  of  repre- 
sentatives. It  was  chiefly  occupied  in  recommending  union 
to  the  states,  and  in  pointing  out  the  dangers  they  would 
incur  by  separation  from,  or  disagreement  with,  each  other. 
The  office  of  vice-president  had  been  conferred  by  the  people 
on  Martin  Van  Buren. 

The  next  important  measure  of  General  Jackson's  admi 
nistration  was  the  removal  of  the  government  deposites  from 
the  bank  of  the  United  States  to  the  local  banks.  In  justifi- 
cation of  this  measure,  the  president,  on  the  18th  of  Septem- 
ber, addressed  to  the  cabinet  a  long  and  argumentative  paper 
His  principal  charges  agafnst  the  bank  were,  that  its  officers 
had  employed  means  to  retard  the  redemption  of  part  of  the 
public  debt,  retaining  in  their  own  hands  the  money  which 
should  have  been  applied  to  that  redemption,  and  that  they 
had  exerted  their  influence,  and  misapplied  their  funds  in 
controuling  the  press  of  the  country. 

The  commercial  embarrassment  and  distress  occasioned  by 
this  measure  arrayed  a  strong  party  in  opposition  to  the  pre- 
sident; and  the  subsequent  session  of  congress  was  chiefly 
occupied  with  discussions  connected  with  the  '  Bank  question.' 
The  president  was  sustained  in  his  course  by  the  house  of 
representatives ;  but  the  senate  were  resolute  in  their  oppo- 
sition. Matters  were  even  carried  so  far  that  a  vote  censuring 
the  conduct  of  the  president,  and  pronouncing  it  unconstitu- 
tional, was  passed  in  that  body.  The  alarm  occasioned 
throughout  the  country  by  the  derangement  of  the  currency 
caused  a  temporary  suspension  of  commercial  business  in 
many  places,  and  a  great  number  of  petitions  from  citizens  in 
various  parts  of  the  Union  were  addressed  to  the  president, 
praying  for  the  restoration  of  the  deposites  to  the  bank.  Bui 
with  his  usual  firmness  of  purpose,  he  maintained  the  position 
which  he  had  taken,  and  the  deposites  were  not  restored. 
When  the  temporary  panic  had  passed  away,  however,  busi 
ness  speedily  recovered  its  usual  activity. 

What  was  the  next  important  aie** 

j-ure  of  the  administration  ? 
What  were  the  reasons  assigned 
the  president  for  this  measure  ? 
What  was  its  effect  in  congrctf  i 
On  buiinau^ 


What  was  its  effect  ? 

When  did  General  Jackson  enter  up- 
on his  second  term  of  office  ? 

What  is  said  of  his  inaugural  ad- 
dress f 

Who  wai  ehoeen  vk^-presideat  I 


404 


CLAIItfS  UN  FRANCE  ADJUSTED. 


In  his  message  to  congress  at  the  opening  of  thq  session  of 
1834-5,  the  president  adverted  to  certain  claims  on  the  French 
government  for  spoliations  on  our  commerce,  committed  under 
the  Berlin  and  Milan  decrees  of  Napoleon  which  had  been  ad- 
justed by  a  treaty  fixing  the  amount  to  25,000,000  francs,  but 
had  never  been  paid.  A  suggestion  was  thrown  out  in  the 
message  as  to  the  propriety  of  making  reprisals  on  French 
property  in  case  of  further  delay.  The  French  government 
of  course  took  fire  at  this  intimation,  and  assumed  an  attitude 
which  seemed  to  threaten  war.  Neither  nation,  however,  was 
in  a  situation  to  render  this  desirable  ;  and  the  president,  having 
in  his  message  of  1835,  without  compromising  his  own  dignity 
or  that  of  his  country,  given  such  explanatioms  of  his  previous 
declarations  as  he  thought  consistent  with  truth  and  propriety, 
the  French  ministry  gladly  availed  themselves  of  the  oppor- 
tunity thus  afforded  of  satisfying  the  American  claims  without 
delay. 

In  the  winter  of  1836,  the  Seminole  Indians  recommenced 
hostilities  in  Florida,  ravaging  the  plantations  and  killing  great 
numbers  of  the  inhabitants.  A  considerable  force  of  regular 
troops  and  volunteers  was  sent  against  them  without  success, 
and  it  soon  became  necessary  tc  ©rder  the  greater  part  of  the 
regular  army  to  the  defence  of  the  southern  border.  The 
Creeks  and  several  other  tribes  united  with  the  Seminoles,  but 
were  soon  reduced  to  submission,  and  transported  beyond  the 
Mississippi.  The  Seminoles,  however,  still  continued  hostili- 
ties with  the  people  of  Florida,  Georgia,  Alabama,  and  Missis- 
sippi, and  though  from  time  to  time  numbers  were  destroyed 
or  captured,  yet  the  nature  of  the  country  afforded  them  so 
many  opportunities  for  retreat  and  concealment,  that  during 
the  whole  of  President  Jackson's  administration,  nothing  ef- 
fectual was  done  toward  the  final  adjustment  of  difficulties. 
Their  entire  removal  was  not  effected  until  the  year  1840, 
aearly  eight  years  after  the  commencement  of  hostilities. 

After  the  bank  of  the  United  States  ceased  to  be  a  national 
institution,  the  different  state  legislatures  chartered  numerous 
•mall  corporations,  to  supply  the  supposed  want  of  banking 


What  occasioned  an  apprehension 

of  war  with  France  t 
How  w^is  it  averted  I 
What  took  place  in  the  winter  oi 

1836? 

What  efforts  were  made  to  reduce 

the  Seminoles  ? 
What  other  tribes  assisted  them  t 
With  what  tueo^ss  ? 


Were  the  efforts  to  conquer  th* 

Seminoles  successful  t 
Why? 

When  was  the  war  brought  to  ■ 

close  ? 

What  measures  were  taken  by  the 
states  to  supply  the  supposed  wta* 
Oi  bank ing  capital  ? 


£L£CTIOM   FOR  PRESIDENT 


405 


capital.  The  U.  S.  Bank  was  chartered  by  Pennsylvania  in 
1836,  with  the  same  amount  of  capital  as  it  previously  had 
'$35,000,000.)  The  panic  occasioned  by  the  removal  of  the 
deposits  having  subsided,  and  the  stale  baiJvs  being  without 
the  check  of  a  national  regulator  to  prevent  excessive  issues 
of  paper  circulation,  the  facilities  of  bank  accomodations  oc 
casioned  a  scene  of  speculation  which  extended  far  and  wide 
over  the  whole  Union,  and  all  classes  of  citizens  became  more 
or  less  entangled  in  the  operations  which  ensued.  Extensive 
purchases  of  the  public  lands,  by  individuals  and  companies 
were  among  the  most  active  schemes  of  the  day  for  the  em 
ploymeni  of  the  abundance  of  bank  capital.  President  Jack- 
son's second  term  being  about  to  expire,  an  election  for  his 
successor  was  held  in  the  fall  of  1836.  The  friends  of  the  ad- 
ministration supported  Martin  Van  Buren  of  New  York  for 
president,  and  Richard  M.  Johnson  of  Kentucky  for  vice- 
president.  The  opposition  proposed  several  candidates  with 
the  hope  of  ultimately  throwing  the  election  to  the  house  of 
representatives.  In  this  they  were  disappointed.  Van  Buren 
was  elected  by  a  de-cided  majority,  and  the  house  subsequently 
decided  upon  the  choice  of  R.  M.  Johnson  for  the  secon*^ 
office  of  the  nation. 

The  twenty-fourth  congress  met  in  second  session,  De- 
cember 5th,  1836.  Few  measures  of  general  interest  were 
adopted.  Michigan  was  admitted  into  the  Union  as  a  state,  c  nd 
some  appropriations  voted  for  harbours,  roads,  and  other  pubi  c 
improvements.  The  expunging  resolution  of  Mr.  Benton 
created  for  a  time  much  sensation,  but  was  ultimately  adopted. 
It  provided  for  drawing  black  lines  around  a  previous  resolu- 
tion of  Mr.  Clay,  censuring  the  president  for  his  conduct  in 
regard  to  the  public  revenue. 

On  the  3d  of  March,  1837,  the  public  services  of  General 
Jackson  closed,  and  after  witnessing  the  inauguration  of  his 
successor  on  the  following  day,  he  retired  to  his  private  resi- 
dence at  the  Hermitage  in  Tennessee. 


What  became  of  the  U.  S.  bank  ? 
What  was  the  immediate  effect  of  a 
maltipiication  of  small  banks  ? 


When  did  Jackson's  second  tsTfii 

expire? 
Who  succeeded  him  f 
Whftt  was  done  by  coii|(ress  t 


106 


fJiS  BUR£N*8  ADMlNISTkATIOH 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

ADMINISTRATION  OF  MARTIN  VAN  BUREN. 

The  inaugural  address  of  the  new  president  convinced  both 
parties,  that  his  views  and  measures  would  be  but  a  continua- 
tion of  those  of  his  predecessor.  The  old  cabinet  was  con* 
tinned,  and  a  few  changes  made  among  the  occupants  of  officiau 
stations. 

One  of  the  earliest  events,  during  this  administration,  and  by 
far  the  most  deeply  interesting  to  the  community,  was  the 
great  money  pressure  of  1837.  The  specie  circular  of  1836» 
which  required  all  payments  of  public  lands  to  be  made  in 
specie,  had  been  powerful  in  its  operations  upon  the  banks 
Large  drafts  for  gold  and  silver,  continually  made  upon  ihenv 
not  only  prevented  the  extension  of  their  line  of  discount,  bu 
compelled  them  to  commence  calling  in  their  circulating  notes. 
Besides  this  difficulty,  the  large  drafts  made  upon  the  banks 
where  the  public  moneys  were  distributed  among  the  states, 
and  the  drains  caused  by  the  excessive  importation  of  mer- 
chandise from  Europe,  caused  a  state  of  the  most  perplexing 
embarrassment. 

On  the  10th  of  May,  1837,  every  bank  in  New  York  city 
s'  .spended  specie  payments  ;  and  in  a  few  days,  the  state  legis- 
iature  authorized  a  suspension  of  all  the  state  banks.  Imme- 
diately after,  the  banks  of  Boston,  Providence,  Albany,  Balti- 
more, Philadelphia,  and  many  other  places  followed  the 
example  of  New  York.  All  confidence  was  lost ;  and  a  period 
of  embarrassment  and  distress  ensued,  unparalleled  in  the 
history  of  our  country  In  a  short  time  failures  took  place  in 
New  York  to  the  amount  of  many  millions  of  dollars  ;  and  in 
two  days  houses  in  New  Orleans  stopped  payment,  owing  an 
aggregate  of  twenty-seven  millions. 

In  order  to  change  this  condition  of  affairs,  a  committee  froia 
New  York  waited  upon  the  president,  praying  him  to  rescind 
the  specie  circular,  and  to  call  an  extra  session  of  congress. 


What  is  said  of  the  inaugural  ad- 
drees  I 

What  calamitous  event  commenced 

in  1837  ? 
What  was  the  first  cause  of  this  f 
How  did  it  operate  m  the  banks  t 


What  effect  had  large  drafts  and  ex- 
cessive importation  on  the  banki  \ 
What  took  place  in  May,  1837  ? 
What  banks  followed  the  example  f 
What  were  the  consequences  t 
Who  waited  on  ths  9re«idMtt 


EXTRA  SESSION  OF  CONGRESS. 


407 


The  facts  disclosed  by  these  gentlemen,  were  of  the  mosi 
alarming  nature,  and  display  a  condition  in  our  community  at 
that  time,  rarely  equalled  in  the  history  of  nations. 

For  some  time  the  president  declined  acting  upon  the  pe- 
titions, but  at  length  consented  to  call  an  extra  session  of  con- 
gress. It  met  on  the  4th  of  September,  and  continued  forty- 
three  days.  The  message  of  the  president  promised  little 
relief  to  the  people,  disclaiming  all  interference  with  the  moneyed 
concerns  of  the  community,  but  at  the  same  time  recommend- 
ing the  celebrated  sub-treasury  scheme,  instead  of  a  national 
bank.  A  bill  for  the  establishment  of  the  project,  was  intro- 
duced to  the  senate  by  Silas  Wright,  and  passed ;  but  the 
house  of  representatives  laid  it  on  the  table.  Congress  passed 
a  few  other  bills,  one  of  which  was  the  appropriation  of 
$1,600,000,  for  the  suppression  of  Indian  hostilities  in  Florida. 
The  session  closed  on  the  16th  of  October,  without  carrying 
out  the  wishes,  either  of  the  people  or  the  government. 

The  regular  session  commenced  December  4th.  The  most 
exciting  topic  was  the  renewed  effort  to  pass  the  sub-treasury 
bill.  The  measure  was  warmly  sustained  by  senators  Wright, 
Benton,  Calhoun,  and  others ;  and  opposed  by  Messrs.  Clay, 
Webster,  and  the  whig  members  generally.  It  passed  the 
senate,  but  was  rejected  by  a  decided  vote  in  the  house.  Mr. 
Preston  of  South  Carolina  introduced  resolutions  into  the 
senate,  favourable  to  the  annexation  of  Texas  to  the  United 
Slates,  but  they  were  unfavourably  received  at  that  time.  Some 
small  bills  were  passed,  before  the  termination  of  the  session, 
but  altogether  this  was  one  of  the  most  unimportant  periods  in 
our  whole  congressional  history. 

The  state  elections  of  1837-8  showed  great  revolutions  in 
political  opinion,  and  convinced  both  the  friends  and  oppo- 
nents of  the  administration  that  its  measures  were  unpopular 
with  the  mass  of  the  people. 

During  this  year  the  difSculties  with  the  Florida  Indians 
bad  still  continued.    Some  of  the  ablest  officers  in  the  ser- 


When  did  congress  meet  f 
What  is  said  of  the  president's  mes- 
sage 7 

What  celebrated  scheme  did  it  re- 
commend T 

What  was  effected  by  congress  ? 

What  is  remarked  of  this  session? 

Was  the  effort  to  pass  the  sub-trea- 
sury renewed  at  the  regular 
a0Mionf 


Who  were  some  oi  its  adTOcmtet  f 

Its  opponents  ? 

What  was  its  fate  f 

What  resolutions  were  offered  by 

Mr.  Preston  ? 
What  is  said  of  the  elections  t 
What  is  said  of  the  Floridt  dilE 

cultiet  t 


408 


BATTLE  OF  OKEE-CHOBEE. 


vice  were  sent  to  direct  the  operations  against  this  single 
tribe — men  like  Scott,  Jesup,  Taylor,  and  Worth — and  a  long 
series  of  battles  followed.  But  led  by  chiefs  of  great  ability — 
Osceola,  Jumper,  and  Tiger  Tail — the  Seniinoles,  with  a 
country  abounding  in  swamps  and  marshes  and  almost  fatal 
to  whites,  bafl&ed  all  attempts  to  subdue  them.  In  1836 
General  Jesup  announced  the  war  ended,  and  soon  after  was 
negotiating  a  treaty,  and  several  chiefs  capitulated  at  Fort 
Dade  on  the  6th  of  March.  But  in  June  Osceola  renewed 
the  war.  Even  the  capture  of  Emathla  or  King  Philip  and  of 
Osceola  did  not  dishearten  the  Seminoles.  The  war  went 
on,  and  in  1837,  battles  were  fought  at  Hatcheeluskie 
Creek,  Camp  Monroe,  Clear  River,  and  Musquito  Inlet, 
The  most  important  battle  of  the  year  was  that  of  Okee- 
Chobee  Lake,  fought  by  General  Taylor,  who  had  acquired 
experience  by  long  service  in  the  State.  On  the  25th  of  De- 
cember he  succeeded  in  bringing  a  large  body  of  Indians  to 
an  engagement  near  Okee-Chobee  lake.  They  were  posted 
in  swamps  and  forests  close  to  the  water,  and  fired  upon  the 
Americans  as  they  approached.  Although  the  latter  were 
fatigued  by  long  marches,  the  colonel  ordered  an  immediate 
charge,  which  was  gallandy  performed,  through  water  knee 
deep,  and  in  face  of  a  galling  fire.  On  reaching  the  opposite 
bank  a  desperate  battle  ensued,  which  lasted  three  hours  with 
heavy  loss  on  both  sides.  It  resulted  in  the  total  overthrow 
of  the  Indians,  who  were  driven  from  their  position  by  the 
bayonet,  and  pursued  for  some  miles.  The  Americans  lost 
twenty-six  killed,  and  one  hundred  and  twelve  wounded,  in- 
cluding many  valuable  officers.  The  Indians  were  almost 
annihilated ;  and  this  battle  was  the  last  in  which  they  appeared 
in  any  considerable  number. 

In  the  year  1838,  serious  disturbances  took  place  in  Canada, 
between  the  inhabitants  and  colonial  government.  Numbers 
from  our  own  country  enlisted  in  what  they  considered  the 
patriotic  struggle  of  an  oppressed  people ;  and  for  some  time 
the  tone  of  Great  Britain  toward  our  government  threatened  a 
war  between  the  two  countries.  President  Van  Buren,  there* 
fore,  issued  a  proclamation,  calling  upon  all  our  citizens  in 
Canada  to  abandon  their  designs,  and  cutting  them  off  froio 


Where  did  Colonel  Taylor  fight  a 

battle  with  the  Indians  f 
Describe  the  battle  ot  Okee-Chobee. 
Its  result. 

Wluit  was  tlM  AjMrissa  liM  f 


The  Indian  f 

What  if  remarked  of  this  battle  f , 
Of  the  disturbances  in  Canada  f 
Of  the  president's  nroclaouMioiil 


aiNERAL  HARRISON  ELECTED  PRESIDENT.  409 


ill  protection  by  our  government  should  they  be  captured  by 
the  English. 

A  more  exciting  subject  soon  after  engaged  the  attention  of 
the  two  countries — this  was  the  north-eastern  boundary  line. 
This  had  unfortunately  been  left  unsettled  by  the  treaty  of 
Ghent ;  and  now  Great  Britain  claimed  much  more  than  the 
United  States  was  disposed  to  grant.  In  several  instances 
the  border  settlements  were  claimed  by  both  nations,  and 
tumults  ensued  which  were  occasionally  serious. 

In  order  to  meet  the  threatened  hostilities,  should  they 
actually  occur,  congress,  at  the  next  session,  passed  an  act, 
giving  to  the  president  additional  powers  for  the  defence  ot  the 
United  States.  Congress  also  passed  an  act  for  preventing 
and  suppressing  Indian  hostilities,  particularly  those  with  the 
Seminoles  of  Florida.  The  war  with  these  Indians  had  now 
continued  several  years,  and  cost  the  government  immense 
sums  of  money.  Nothing  very  important  was  done  during 
this  session.  During  the  summer  of  1839,  President  Van 
Buren  visited  New  York,  his  native  state.  In  all  places  on 
his  route  he  was  received  with  public  honours,  and  followed 
by  processions  of  citizens  civil  and  military. 

The  twenty-sixth  congress  met  on  the  2d  of  December, 
1839.  Leaving  out  five  whig  members  from  New  Jersey, 
whose  seats  were  contested,  the  two  great  parties  in  the  house 
of  representatives  were  nearly  balanced.  The  contested  can- 
didates had  certificates  of  election  from  the  governor  of  New 
Jersey,  but  after  a  most  animated  debate  they  were  refusec 
iheir  seats,  and  consequently  the  opposing  candidates  obtained 
iheir  seats. 

In  1840  the  presidential  contest  of  the  two  great  parties  took 
place.  It  was  the  most  exciting  and  arduous  ever  witnessed 
in  the  United  States.  Three  parties  were  in  the  field.  The 
administration  supported  Martin  Van  Buren  for  president, 
Colonel  Johnson  for  vice-president ;  the  whigs,  General  Harri- 
son and  John  Tyler;  the  abolitionists,  James  G.  Birney. 
The  result,  both  of  the  popular  and  electoral  vote,  was  a  very 
Urge  majority  for  Harrison  and  Tyler. 

The  second  session  of  the  24th  congress  commenced  on  th 


What  other  subjects  of  dispute  arose? 
iVhat  preparatory  measures  were 

taken  by  congress  T 
What  other  act  was  passed  ? 
What  is  said  of  the  Seminole  war  f 
Of  the  president's  visit  f 


When  did  congress  meet  f 
What  exciting  topic  arose  ? 
How  was  it  adjusted  ? 
Who  were  the  candidates  for  tht 

W)resideacy  in  1840? 
hat  was  tLe  result  of  thm         *  ■ 


41C        Harrison's  administration,  and  death. 


7lh  of  December,  1840,  and  continued  until  the  3d  of  the  suc- 
ceeding March.  Their  acts  were  few  and  unimportant.  Ai 
the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office,  Mr.  Van  Buren  retired  lo 
hi«  private  residence  at  Kinderhook,  New  York. 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

ADMIN\«TRATI0NS  of  HARRISON  AND  TYLER. 

General  William  Henry  Harrison  was  inaugurated  pr^ 
sident  of  the  United  States,  March  4th,  1841.  The  ceremony 
was  one  of  the  most  imposing  ever  witnessed  at  Washiagton 
and  when  the  new  chief  magistrate  had  delivered  his  inaugu- 
ral address,  the  prolonged  shouts  from  assembled  thousands^ 
with  the  pealing  of  heavy  cannon  announced  the  joy  and  con- 
fidence of  the  people  in  their  new  ruler. 

Immediately  after  the  inauguration,  the  president  appointed 
his  cabinet,  together  with  several  other  officers,  all  of  which 
were  confirmed  by  the  senate. 

In  conoequence  of  the  alarming  condition  of  the  country, 
President  Harrison  issued  a  proclamation  on  the  17th  of  March, 
calling  an  extra  session  of  congress  on  the  31st  of  May  fol- 
lowing. The  political  views  of  General  Harrison  had  been 
expressed  in  his  inaugural  address ;  and  great  and  radical 
changes  of  policy  were  now  confidently  expected.  But  He 
who  rules  the  destinies  of  nations,  had  determined  that  Harri- 
son should  never  see  the  consummation  of  the  long  cherished 
designs  for  the  benefit  of  the  people ;  for  in  the  short  space 
of  one  month  from  the  day  of  inauguration,  the  chief  magis- 
trate of  the  United  States  expired.  Several  days  previous  he 
had  contracted  a  cold,  with  some  degree  of  fever  ;  this  brought 
on  a  disease  which  baffled  all  medical  skill,  and  terminated 
his  virtuous  and  useful  life  on  the  4th  of  April,  in  the  68th 
year  of  his  age.  His  last  words  were — "  Sir,  I  wish  you  to 
understand  the  principles  of  the  government.  I  wish  them 
arried  out,  I  ask  nothing  more." 


What  is  said  of  the  second  session  of 
ihe  24th  congress  f 

Of  President  Van  Buren  t 

When  was  General  Harrison  inaugu- 
rated! 

Dworibn  tke  o^remoax. 


What  proclamation  did  he  issue  f 
What  melancholy  dispensation  en 
sued  ? 

How  old  was  President  Hamionf 
What  were  his  last  words  f 


TRIAL  OF  NCLEOD. 


The  deepest  sorrow  pervaded  the  country  at  this  raelaih 
eholy  dispensation.  All  party  feeling  was  abandoned,  and 
every  class  of  individuals  united  in  paying  solemn  honours  to 
the  illustrious  dead.  His  funeral  took  place  on  Wednesday, 
the  7th  of  April.    The  procession  was  of  immense  length. 

According  to  a  clause  in  the  constitution  providing  for  such 
an  emergency,  Mr.  Tyler  now  became  president  of  the  United 
States.  The  cabinet  was  retained,  and  it  was  generally  sup- 
posed that  he  would  carry  out  the  measures  recommended  by 
his  lamented  predecessor.  His  message  to  the  extra  session 
confirmed  these  hopes,  and  sanguine  expectations  were  in- 
dulged that  the  credit  and  business  of  the  country  would  soon 
be  placed  upon  a  firm  basis. 

The  first  act  of  importance  passed  by  congress,  was  ,to  esta- 
blish a  fiscal  bank  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  similar  to  the 
old  United  States  Bank.  When  this  bill  was  presented  to  the 
president,  he  kept  it  ten  days,  and  then  returned  it  with  his 
veto.  A  second  bill,  understood  to  have  previously  met  with 
his  approval,  shared  the  same  fate.  These  proceedings  of  the 
president  bewildered  congress,  and  caused  apprehension  and 
dismay  throughout  the  country.  All  the  cabinet  except  Mr, 
Webster,  secretary  of  state,  resigned  ;  and  the  chief  magistrate 
and  his  former^party  were  severed  for  ever. 

Meanwhile  congress  had  passed  several  other  bills,  which 
became  laws — one  repealing  the  sub-treasury,  a  second  esta- 
blishing a  uniform  system  of  bankruptcy,  another  to  appro- 
priate the  proceeds  of  the  public  lands.  The  duties  of  the 
session  were  many  and  laborious,  and  the  members  showed  a 
full  determination  to  meet  the  wishes  of  the  people,  as  far  a* 
lay  in  their  power. 

During  this  year  the  trial  of  Alexander  McLeod  took  place 
in  New  York,  and  created  much  excitement  throughout  the 
United  States.  He  had  been  a  sheriff'  in  Upper  Canada,  an(? 
was  charged  with  having  murdered  an  American  named  Amos 
Durfee,  on  the  29th  of  December,  1837,  at  which  time  the 
American  steamboat  Caroline  was  set  on  fire  by  some  Cana- 
dians, and  sent  over  the  Falls.    As  this  party  acted  undei 


Who  became  president  ? 

What  was  the  first  ac.  of  congress  ? 

Its  fate  ? 

Wliat  was  done  with  the  second 

bank  bill? 
What  effect  had  the  pre«ident*s 

course  on  congress  f 
Oa  the  country  t 


On  the  cabinet  t 

Mention  the  other  bills  passed  b| 

congress. 
What  is  said  of  this  session  f 
What  trial  came  on  this  year  ? 
Who  was  McLeod « 
For  what  was  he  tried  ^ 


12 


▲NNKXATION  OF  TEZiS. 


government  authority,  the  United  States  claimed  McLeod 
A  national  prisoner,  but  the  governor  of  New  York  refused  to 
give  him  up.    Great  Britain  threatened  war  unless  he  was 
liberated,  but  her  threats  were  disregarded.    Happily  the 
prisoner  was  acquitted. 

The  vwenty-seventh  congress  assembled  in  second  sessioi 
or  the  6th  of  December,  1841,  This  session  is  noted  as  thi 
ongest  ever  held,  and  as  transacting  more  important  businesf 
than  any  one  since  the  formation  of  the  federal  constitution. 
Its  leading  measure  was  a  new  tariff  law.  It  also  apportioned 
the  ratio  of  representation,  and  provided  for  publishing  the  ac- 
count of  Lieutenant  Wilkes's  exploring  expedition  to  the  South 
Seas. 

In  1842,  Mr.  Webster,  secretary  of  state,  and  Lord  Ash- 
burton,  English  plenipotentiary,  negotiated  a  treaty  by  which 
the  north-eastern  boundary  question  was  definitely  settled  in 
a  manner  satisfactory  to  Maine  and  Massachusetts,  the  states 
most  interested  therein.  Beside  its  great  object,  the  treaty 
provided  for  the  final  suppression  of  the  African  slave  trade, 
and  the  giving  up  of  fugitive  criminals  in  certain  cases.  Mr. 
Webster  then  resigned  his  office  in  the  cabinet,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Abel  P.  Upshur,  of  Virginia.  Soon  after,  b^  the 
bursting  of  a  gun  on  the  steamer  Princeton,  Mr.  Upshur,  ^nd 
the  secretary  of  war,  Mr.  Gilmer,  lost  their  lives,  and  J  C. 
Calhoun  was  appointed  in  place  of  the  former. 

In  1843,  a  valuable  treaty  was  concluded  with  the  Chir  ese 
government ;  and  in  the  following  year  Mr.  Calhoun  sign^  a 
treaty  of  annexation  between  the  United  States  and  Texas. 
The  senate,  however,  rejected  this  instrument  by  a  deciJ-Bd 
vote. 

In  the  fall  of  1844,  the  presidential  election  took  plai»«, 
which  resulted  in  the  success  of  the  democratic  candidates 
Polk  and  Dallas,  over  the  whigs.  Clay  and  Frelinghuyseu. 
In  the  following  session  of  congress,  Texas  was  annexed  m 
the  Union,  and  Florida  and  Iowa  admitted  as  states. 


Before  what  tribunal  was  McLeod 
tried  ? 

Did  Great  Britain  interfere  t 
What  was  the  rusult  f 
ll'or  what  is  the  congress  of  Decem- 
ber 1841,  noted  ? 
What  was  its  leading  measure  f 
Mention  some  of  the  others, 
What  important  treaty  waa  conclud- 
•4  in  1842  f 


What  is  said  of  Webster's  resig 

qation  f 
Of  the  Princeton? 
The  Chinese  government  t 
Of  Mr.  Calhoun's  treaty  f 
Who  was  elected  president  in  1844  j 
When  was  Texas  annexed  ? 
What  states  were  admitted  abov 

the  same  tine  e  ff 


MOB  FIRING  CANNON  BErORE  THE  COURT  HOUSE. 


SETTLEMENT  OT  THE  OF  BOON  ai^ESTION, 


President  Tyler  s  administration  closed  on  the  3d  of  March 
1S45 ;  and  on  the  following  day,  James  K,  Polk  of  Tenner* 
•re  was  inaugurated. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

ADMINISTRATION  OF  JAMES  K.  POLK. 

The  first  act  of  the  president  elect  was  to  organize  a  new 
cabinet ;  this  was  followed  by  radical  changes  in  many  of  the 
offices  depending  on  his  authority,  which  were  filled  with 
friends  of  the  administration. 

The  views  of  Mr.  Polk  were  fully  developed  m  his  inaugural 
message.  He  approved  of  the  annexation  of  Texas,  claimed 
the  whole  of  Oregon  territory  (to  54°  40'  N.  L.)  in  opposi- 
tion to  the  assumptions  of  Great  Britain,  and  was  opposed  to 
the  tariff  act  of  1842.  His  declarations  upon  the  two  former 
subjects  roused  the  pride  both  of  Mexico  and  Great  Britain ; 
and  for  awhile  war  with  these  countries  was  confidently  an- 
ticipated. A  treaty,  however,  was  soon  concluded  with 
England,  by  which  she  received  all  of  Oregon  north  of  49° 
50',  with  the  free  navigation  of  the  Columbia  river.  Mego- 
tiations  were  then  commenced  with  Mexico,  with  a  view  of 
inducing  her  to  yield  Texas  without  an  appeal  to  arms. 

The  most  important  measure  of  congress  during  the  wintei 
of  1845-6,  was  the  repeal  of  the  tariff  law  of  1842,  and  the 
substitution  of  a  much  lower  rate  of  duties.  This  caused  an 
immense  sensation  in  the  northern  states,  and  was  generally 
condemned  both  by  whigs  and  democrats. 

Meanwhile  negotiations  were  going  on  for  a  treaty  with 
Mexico,  which  would  fix  a  permanent  boundary  to  Texas, 
and  remove  all  other  subjects  of  dispute  with  that  power. 
Unhappily  these  negotiations  were  unsuccessful — President 


When  did  the  administration  of 

President  Tyler  close  ? 
What  were  some  of  the  views  of  the 

new  president  ? 
How  Were  they  regarded  by  foreign 

countries  ? 
How   was  the    Ores^on  question 

Mttled? 


What  was  done  in  regard  to  Mexico  • 
What  bill  was  passed  by  congrcM 
in  the  session  of  1845-6  f 
What  is  said  of  it  ♦ 
What  is  said  of  the  negotiation!  witi 
Mexico  t 


S5* 


414 


TAYLOR  RKACHES  TRK  KiO  ORAMDS. 


Paredes  refused  to  yield  any  part  of  the  disputed  territory,  ac- 
cused the  Uniteil  States  of  dismembering  a  sister  republic,  and 
appealed  to  fore'gn  nations  for  redress  and  assistance. 

In  consequence  of  this  hostile  attitude,  the  president  thoughl 
proper  to  place  a  corps  of  observation  at  Corpus  Christi,  in 
order  to  resist  any  invasion  on  the  part  of  Mexico.  The  com- 
mand of  this  force  was  given  to  General  Zachary  Taylor, 
who  had  highly  distinguished  himself  in  the  Seminole  war 
On  the  11th  of  March,  the  troops  moved  from  Corpus  Christi 
by  order  of  the  president,  and  advanced  toward  the  Rio 
Grande,  the  disputed  boundary  between  Texas  and  Mexico 
Two  separate  delegations  protested  against  their  march,  and 
an  attempt  was  made  to  fire  the  village  at  Point  Isabel,  in  order 
to  prevent  its  capture  by  the  Americans.  The  conflagration 
was  arrested,  and  after  taking  possession  of  the  Point,  General 
Taylor  built  a  fort  there,  and  made  it  his  main  depot.  He 
then  proceeded  to  the  Rio  Grande,  and  established  himself  or 
the  east  bank,  opposite  Matamoras.  Here  he  built  a  fort 
which  subsequently  received  the  name  of  Fort  Brown. 

Considering  these  movements  of  the  United  States  as  equiva- 
lent to  a  declaration  of  war,  the  Mexican  government  stationed 
large  bodies  of  troops  in  Matamoras,  to  act  as  circumstances 
might  require.  For  awhile  both  armies  acted  with  extreme 
caution,  but  in  April  the  murder  of  Colonel  Cross,  and  capture 
of  Thornton's  party,  evinced  that  a  heavy  storm  was  soon  to 
succeed  the  apparent  calm.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  same 
month,  the  Mexicans  crossed  the  river,  spread  themselves 
between  Point  Isabel  and  the  station  occupied  by  General 
Taylor,  and  cut  off  all  communication  from  the  latter. 

Aware  of  the  absolute  necessity  of  free  access  to  his  depot, 
General  Taylor  determined  to  force  his  way  to  Point  Isabel. 
Accordingly,  on  the  1st  of  May,  1847,  leaving  the  river  fori 
in  care  of  Major  Brown,  he  set  out  with  the  main  body  of 
his  army,  and  after  two  days'  march,  reached  his  destination, 
without  having  encountered  a  single  Mexican.    On  his  returs. 


What  is  said  of  President  Paredes  ? 

What  was  done  bv  President  Polk  ? 

Who  commanded  the  corps  of  ob- 
servation ? 

When  did  it  move  from  Corpus 
Christi  ? 

Who  protested  against  the  march  ? 
What  was  done  at  Point  Isabel  ? 
Where  did  General  Taylor  establish 
himself? 


What  was  done  by  the  Mexicu 

government  ? 
What  took  place  in  April  f 
What  was  done  by  Taylor,  May 

1st  ? 

Who  was  left  to  command  the  rivei 

fort? 

Was  his  msrch  to  Point  Isabel  op* 
posed  f 


BATTLC  or  RB8ACA  DK  LA  PALM  A. 


415 


however,  he  met  (May  Sth")  a  force  of  nearly  six  thousand 
troops,  drawn  up  in  battle  array,  directly  across  the  road. 
This  was  at  a  place  called  Palo  Alto.  The  American  ordef 
of  battle  was  formed  at  one  o'clock,  and  soon  after  the  firs 
action  between  the  forces  of  Mexico  and  the  United  States 
commenced.  Although  our  troops  numbered  only  ope  half 
of  the  enemy,  they  retained  their  ground,  repulsed  every 
charge  of  cavalry,  and  drove  tke  opposing  infantry  completely 
from  its  position.  So  violent  was  the  action,  that  the  prairie 
between  the  armies  was  fired,  and  continued  to  burn  for  nearly 
an  hour.  During  this  time  the  action  was  suspended,  and  a 
new  Hne  of  battle  jormed.  It  then  recommenced  and  con- 
tinued with  great  fury  until  night,  when  the  Mexicans  with- 
drew. 

The  manner  in  which  the  Americans  managed  their  light 
artillery  in  this  engagement  gave  them  the  victory,  and  has 
ever  been  the  theme  of  admiration.  Major  Ringgold,  who 
had  been  mainly  instrumental  in  bringing  it  to  perfection,  was 
mortally  wounded  during  the  action,  and  died  two  days  after 

The  loss  of  the  Americans  in  this  battle  was  nine  killed, 
forty-four  wounded,  and  two  missing;  that  of  the  Mexicans 
was  not  less  than  two  hundred  killed,  and  four  hundred 
wounded. 

On  the  following  day  General  Taylor  again  came  up  with 
the  Mexicans,  who  were  strongly  posted  at  a  ravine  called 
Resaca  de  la  Palma.  At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  another 
engagement  took  place,  more  obstinate  and  bloody  than  that 
of  the  day  before.  The  Mexican  artillery  were  planted  in 
the  ravine,  so  as  fully  to  command  the  road,  rendering  it  almost 
impossible  for  an  army  to  cross  the  ravine  without  being  cut 
to  pieces. 

The  action  commenced  by  advance  parties  of  the  Ameri- 
cans, who  penetrated  deep  into  the  chaparral,  and  came  in 
contact  with  the  Mexican  infantry.  They  were  soon  seconded 
by  the  artillery,  which  was  managed  by  Lieutenant  Ridgely, 
with  the  precision  of  a  rifle  corps.  On  this  powerful  engine 
tke  Americans  principally  relied  for  victory,  and  during  the 


When  and  where  did  he  meet  the 

Mexican  Army  ? 
What  was  the  force  of  each  army  ? 
Describe  the  battle. 
What  is  said  of  the  American  light 

artillery? 
Of  Majo  Ringgold  ! 


What  was  the  American  losaf 
The  Mexican  ? 

Where  and  when  did  the  two  armief 

again  meet  ? 
How  were  the  Mexicans  posted  ? 
How  was  the  action  commenced  f 
What  is  said  of  the  artiilenr  f 


416 


may's  charge. 


wnoie  battje,  the  artillerists  fought  amid  an  moessant  sbowej 
of  iron  hail.  In  a  few  minutes  after  the  first  fire,  the  action 
oecame  general ;  long  lines  of  infantry  were  wrapped  4n  an 
uninterrupted  blaze,  and  masses  of  horsemen,  flung  forward 
on  our  guns,  then  rolled  back  in  \v  \ld  confusion.  Nine  thou- 
sand men  were  struggling  for  victory  in  the  path  of  death. 

At  length  the  American  infantry  were  ordered  to  charge  the 
chaparral  with  the  bayonet.  They  swept  on  amid  a  withering 
file,  drove  back  the  advance,  marched  into  the  thicket  with 
fixed  bayonets,  and  scattered  the  enemy  in  all  directions.  The 
Americans  then  attempted  to  pursue  them  across  the  ravine,  hu\ 
were  met  by  the  batteries  posted  there,  and  mowed  down  ii 
crowds.  Every  eflfort  was  made  to  dismantle  these  guns;  bu 
though  blocked  up  by  the  dead  and  dying,  the  Mexican  vete 
rans  stood  to  their  dangerous  posts,  and  dealt  destruction  upon 
their  assailants. 

Feeling  that  nothing  decisive  could  be  effected  until  these 
guns  were  silenced,  General  Taylor  ordered  Gnptain  May  to 
charge  them  with  his  dragoons.  This  he  performed  in  the 
face  of  a  shower  of  grape  shot,  drove  the  artillerists  from 
their  stations,  and  captured  General  La  Vega.  The  veterans  of 
Mexico  fought  with  desperate  valour  to  regain  their  pieces,  but 
were  defeated  with  immense  loss,  and  soon  after  the  whole 
army  commenced  a  disorderly  retreat.  The  Americans  rapidly 
pursued,  until  the  enemy,  overcome  by  fear,  threw  aside  every 
weight,  and  rushed  in  crowds  towards  the  Rio  Grande.  Num 
bers  were  drowned  in  attempting  to  cross  ;  and  many  moit 
trampled  under  foot  by  the  flying  cavalry.  The  victory  of 
General  Taylor  was  complete. 

In  this  battle  the  Americans  numbered  about  seventeen  hun- 
dred, of  whom  they  lost  three  oflficers  and  thirty-six  men 
killed,  twelve  oflicers  and  seventy-one  men  wounded.  The 
Mexican  force  was  about  six  thousand ;  but  their  loss  has  never 
been  correctly  ascertained. 

In  the  absence  of  General  Taylor,  the  Mexicans  had  bom- 
barded the  fort  on  the  river  for  four  days,  during  which  time 
the  labours  and  sufferings  of  the  garrison  were  of  the  most 
trying  nature.  On  the  6th,  its  gallant  commandan  was  killed 
by  a  shell,  and  in  honour  of  him  the  work  afterwards  received 
the  name  of  Fort  Brown. 


Describe  the  general  battle. 
The  charge  of  infantry. 
Whit  obstructed  the  passage  oi  the 
rayiiie? 


What  orders  were  given  to  CaptAtt 
May  ? 

Describe  May's  charge  ? 
What  general  waa  captmdlf 


PREPARING  FOR  ACTIVE  OPERATIONS. 


417 


The  army  of  the  United  States  had  thus  driven  the  Mexi- 
cans from  the  territory  claimed  by  Texas,  but  over  which 
Mexico  liad  maintained  jurisdiction.  Virtually  the  object 
of  the  United  States  was  accomplished.  The  Mexican 
General  Arista  then  proposed  an  armistice,  so  as  to  leave 
the  settlement  of  ilm  boundary  to  negotiations  between  the 
two  republics.  This,  however,  was  peremptorily  declined  by 
General  Taylor,  and  he  prepared  for  an  invasion  of  the 
acknowledged  territory  of  Mexico.  The  little  town  of  Barita, 
near  the  mouth  of  the  river,  was  occupied  by  a  small  Ameri- 
can force,  and  on  the  18th  Taylor  entered  Matamoras.  The 
Mexican  troops  made  no  opposition,  but  evacuated  the  place, 
after  spiking  and  sinking  in  the  river  the  heavy  cannon  that 
they  were  unable  to  move,  and  fell  back  to  Linares,  where 
General  Mejia  superseded  Arista. 

A  revolution  in  Mexico  displaced  Paredes,  the  president  of 
the  republic,  and  Santa  Anna,  who  had  professed  strong  in- 
clinations for  arranging  matters  amicably  with  the  United 
States,  and  had  been  allowed  to  enter  the  country,  was  raised 
to  power. 

War  had  been  declared  on  both  sides,  but  neither  of  the 
belligerents  was  ready  for  active  operations.  Many  had 
supposed  that  any  military  demonstration  on  the  frontier 
would  bring  the  Mexicans  to  terms,  and  no  steps  had  been 
taken  to  raise  such  an  army  as  would  be  needed  by  a  series 
of  operations  on  Mexican  soil.  When,  however.  Congress 
authorized  it,  regiments  of  volunteers  were  raised  in  the 
various  States.  Meanwhile,  instead  of  negotiating,  Santa 
Anna  raised  an  army,  and  promised  to  drive  the  invaders 
from  the  soil  of  Mexico. 

General  Taylor  in  the  meantime  continued  to  hold  the  city 
of  Matamoras,  being  in  no  condition  to  advance  into  the  interior 
of  Mexico  in  pursuit  of  the  army  on  the  northern  frontier. 
The  force  at  his  command  was  totally  inadequate  for  a  cam- 
paign in  a  hostile  country,  and  he  was  deficient  in  supplies 
and  transportation  even  for  the  little  army  already  on  Mexican 
soil.  He  consequently  remained  in  Matamoras  the  greater  part 
of  the  summer,  and  the  time  thus  afforded  the  Mexicans  was 


What  liad  the  United  States  accom- 

T)lished  ? 
what  did  Gen.  Arista  proj)ose  ? 
What  town  was  occupied  by  General 

Taylor? 

When  did  he  enter  Matamorai  ? 
Who  succeeded  Arista  ? 


What  had  meanwhile  taken  place  In 

Mexico  ? 

What  had  Santa  Anna  professed  ? 

How  did  he  act  when  he  became  dic- 
tator ? 

What  were  raised  in  several  States? 
Why  did  Taylor  remain  inactive  ? 


418 


REDOUBTS  CARRIED  BY  WORTH* 


employed  by  the  them  in  reorganizing  their  army,  and  pre 
paring  for  a  vigorous  prosecution  of  the  war. 

Before  the  end  of  June,  General  Taylor  was  strongly  re- 
inforced by  numerous  volunteer  companies  from  various  parts 
of  the  Union,  but  his  means  of  transportation  were  still  so 
deficient,  that  he  was  unable  to  commence  his  march  for 
Monterey,  until  the  latter  part  of  August. 

In  the  mean  time,  however,  the  Mexican  ports  of  Miei, 
Reynosa,  and  Camargo,  had  been  occupied  by  the  Americans 
without  opposition. 

On  the  5th  of  September,  General  Taylor  received  infor 
mation  that  Ampudia  had  lately  arrived  at  Monterey  with  large 
reinforcements,  and  was  fortifying  that  place  with  the  greatest 
care.  He  immediately  pushed  forward  his  troops  toward  that 
city,  and  on  the  19th,  encamped  at  the  Walnut  Springs,  three 
miles  south  of  it.  The  fortifications  were  found  to  be  of 
immense  strength,  defended  by  redoubts  and  stone  walls  and 
having  each  street  commanded  by  heavy  artillery.  In  addi- 
tion to  this,  the  hill  Independence,  without  the  walls,  was 
guarded  by  several  forts,  among  which  one  called  the  Bishop's 
Palace  was  considered  impregnable. 

'  On  the  20th,  General  Worth,  with  the  division  under  his 
command,  was  ordered  to  gain,  by  a  circuitous  route,  the  Sal- 
tillo  road,  west  of  the  town,  and  storm  the  heights  above  the 
Bishop's  Palace.  He  reached  the  intended  position  on  the 
21st,  after  defeating  a  portion  of  the  Mexican  cavalry  encamped 
so  as  to  cover  the  passage  of  the  Saltillo  road. 

To  divert  the  attention  of  the  enemy  from  Worth's  move- 
ment. Generals  Twiggs  and  Butler  were  ordered  to  make  a 
demonstratipn  against  the  centre  and  left  of  the  town.  They 
were  fired  upon  by  the  Mexican  batteries,  and  experienced 
heavy  loss.  During  the  day.  Worth  stormed  the  two  principal 
redoubts  in  rear  of  the  town,  carried  them,  and  immediately 
turned  the  captured  guns  upon  the  Bishop's  Palace.  He  los^ 
but  two  or  three  men  ;  but  the  division  which  had  entered  the 
city  to  favour  his  movement  and  capture  one  of  the  works, 
suffered  very  severely,  although  they  attained  both  objects 


What  places  were  occupied  ? 
What  information  was  received  on 

the  5th  of  September  I 
When  did  Taylor  reach  the  Walnut 

Sprngs  ? 
Describe  Monterey. 


Describe  the  hill  Independence. 
What  orders  were  given  to  General 

Worth  ? 
To  Twiggs  and  Butler  ? 
What  was  done  by  Worth  on  the 
I  2Ut? 


CAPTURE  OF  MONTEREY. 


419 


The  battle  of  the  21st  began  with  a  cavalry  affair  at  tlie 
western  extremity  of  the  town  near  the  Sahillo  road ;  the 
object  of  this  was  to  cut  off  Monterey  from  all  comnmnica- 
tion  with  the  interior  and  all  hope  of  speedy  relief.  When 
this  had  proved  successful,  General  Worth  determined  to 
carry  the  fortress  on  the  Loma  de  Federacion,  a  fortified  hill 
south  of  the  San  Juan,  which  commanded  the  lower  road 
to  Saltillo,  and  these  were  the  redoubts  which  after  a  severe 
contest  he  succeeded  in  carrying.  Opposite  to  this  was 
another  fortified  hill,  the  Loma  de  Independencia,  where 
the  bishop's  palace,  a  strong  stone  building  had  been  turned 
into  a  defensive  work.  This  was  called  the  key  of  Monterey. 
During  the  night  Ampudia  tried  to  recover  the  first  hill,  but 
failed. 

Next  morning  (22d)  at  dawn  of  day,  the  two  remaining 
heights  above  the  Bishop's  Palace  were  stormed  and  carried 
by  General  Worth's  division,  and  early  in  the  afternoon  the 
Palace  itself  was  taken. 

During  the  night  of  the  22d,  the  enemy  evacuated  nearly  all 
their  outer  defences,  and  retired  to  the  cathedral  and  other 
central  works,  near  the  principal  plaza.  In  these  last  strong- 
holds they  defended  themselves  witli  the  obstinacy  of  despair, 
placing  their  artillery  in  such  positions  as  to  command  all  the 
advances  to  their  stations.  The  Americans  entered  the  houses, 
dug  through  the  side  walls,  advancing  in  this  manner  from 
street  to  street,  until  they  came  within  one  square  of  the  prin- 
cipal plaza.  Here,  for  awhile,  the  battle  was  dreadful ;  but 
deeming  it  imprudent  to  advance  further.  General  Taylor  with- 
drew to  the  evacuated  forts,  to  concert  with  General  Worth 
for  a  combined  attack  upon  all  the  enemy's  positions. 

Early  on  the  24th,  General  Taylor  received  a  communica- 
tion from  Ampudia,  proposing  to  evacuate  the  town  upon  cer- 
tain conditions,  to  be  agreed  upon  by  both  commanders.  These 
were  in  substance — That  the  Mexican  forces  should  evacuate 
the  city,  which  was  to  be  delivered  up  to  the  Americans  ;  that 
the  Mexicans  should  march  out  with  their  muskets,  and  twenty 
rounds  of  cartridges,  and  six  pieces  of  cannon.  That  during 
tn  armistice  of  eight  weeks,  neither  army  should  advance 
beyond  a  certain  line. 

The  force  of  the  Americans  in  this  siege  was  6645  meo, 


What  was  done  by  Worth  on  the 
33df 

By  the  enemy  at  night  f 
Describe  the  subsequent  battle. 


What  ensued  on  the  24^h  f 
On  what  terms  did  Monteroj  capi- 
tulate f 


420 


TROOPS  DETACHED  FROM  TAYLOR. 


including  officers ;  and  they  had  but  one  piece  of  artillery  fit 
for  service.  The  Mexicans  numbered  nearly  10,000,  with 
forty-two  pieces  of  artillery,  and  fortifications  of  immense 
strength.  Our  army  lost  in  killed  and  woundcfl  about  fiv« 
hundred  ;  the  enemy  rather  more. 

General  Taylor  now  established  his  head-quarters  at  Mon 
terey ;  Brigadier-General  Worth,  with  twelve  hundred  men 
and  eight  pieces  of  artillery,  was  detached  to  Saltillo,  (seventy 
miles  distant,)  and  Brigadier-General  Wool,  with  twenty-four 
hundred  men  and  six  pieces,  advanced  to  Parras. 

While  these  events  were  transpiring,  Paredes  had  been 
driven  from  the  supreme  command  in  Mexico,  and  General 
Santa  Anna,  formerly  commander-in-chief,  recalled  from  exile 
m  Cuba,  and  placed  at  the  head  of  affairs.  This  officer 
promptly  took  the  field,  and  commenced  the  most  active 
measures  for  raising  an  army  sufficient  to  recover  all  the 
national  losses.  By  forced  loans  on  the  clergy,  he  obtained 
large  sums  of  money,  and  before  the  close  of  the  year  had  suc- 
ceeded in  raising  twenty  thousand  men,  and  concentrating 
ihem  at  San  Luis  Potosi,  which  place  he  strongly  fortified 
and  filled  with  military  stores. 

In  the  latter  part  of  December,  General  Taylor  left  Mon- 
terey, and  marched  toward  the  interior,  in  order  to  meet  the 
Mexican  general  upon  his  own  ground  ;  but  on  arriving  at 
Victoria  he  received  a  demand  from  General  Scott  for  a  portion 
of  his  troops,  to  assist  in  the  intended  assault  of  that  officer 
upon  Vera  Cruz.  Scott  had  been  appointed  by  government 
to  supersede  General  Taylor  in  the  command  of  the  army  of 
occupation  ;  and  finding  his  force  inadequate  to  fulfil  the  objects 
he  had  in  view,  he  was  obliged  to  make  this  draft  upon  the 
army  of  his  brother  officer. 

Nearly  all  the  regular  troops,  including  the  gallant  Worth, 
were  detached  from  General  Taylor,  obliging  him  to  fall  back 
and  resume  his  old  station  at  Monterey.  In  February,  1847, 
large  reinforcements  of  volunteers  arrived ;  and  anticipating 
&n  attack  b)  Santa  Anna  on  the  posts  between  himself  and 
Matamoras,  he  determined  to  advance  and  fight  a  pitched 


What  was  the  force  of  each  army  ? 
The  loss  ? 

Where  did  General  Taylor  establish 

his  head-quarters  ? 
General  Worth  ? 

Where  did  General  Wool  statton 
himself  ? 

Meanwhile  what  hac  transpired  in 
Mexico? 


How  did  Santa  Anna  raise  an  nrmj  f 
What  place  did  he  fortify  ? 
When  did  Taylor  march  to  me* 
him  ? 

What  did  he  receive  at  Victoria  ? 
What  is  said  of  General  Scott? 
Whither  did  General  Taylor  retire  f 
When  was  he  reinforced  ? 
Did  he  again  advance  to  the  intenor  I 


TAYLOR  SUMMONED  TO  SURRENDBR. 


421 


battle  with  him.  Accordingly  he  left  Monterey,  and  on  th« 
20th  of  February,  encamped  at  Agua  Nueva,  eighteen  miles 
south  of  Saltillo ;  but  learning  that  Santa  Anna  was  rapidly 
approaching  him  with  twenty  thousand  men,  he  fell  back  to  a 
strong  position  at  the  pass  of  Angostura,  near  Buena  Vista, 
and  seven  miles  from  Saltillo. 

This  had  not  been  the  original  design  of  the  Mexican  com 
mander.  During  the  armistice  following  the  fall  of  Monterey 
he  stationed  himself  near  San  Luis  Potosi,  for  the  purpose  of 
drilling  the  army  with  which  he  intended  to  meet  and  oppose 
the  progress  of  General  Taylor  to  the  capital.  Before  the 
eight  weeks  had  expired,  however,  he  received  notice  that  the 
American  government  disapproved  of  the  truce,  and  that  con- 
sequently hostilities  would  immediately  recommence.  His 
government  was  now  clamorous  for  active  operations,  and 
compelled  him  to  abandon  his  wise  resolution  of  acting  on  the 
defensive,  until  attacked  by  the  Americans.  He,  therefore, 
reluctantly  broke  up  his  encampment,  and  commenced  a  march, 
which  for  suffering  and  fidelity  to  the  leader,  has  no  parallel 
in  Mexican  annals.  Almost  all  the  troops  were  destitute  of 
shoes,  and  many  had  but  one  article  of  clothing.  During  two 
days  they  subsisted  on  a  biscuit  and  slice  of  meat  for  each 
man ;  and  so  great  was  the  scarcity  of  water,  that  it  was 
accurately  measured  to  the  men,  and  the  time  of  drinking,  as 
well  as  the  quantity,  defined  in  general  orders.  Part  cf  the 
journey  lay  over  an  utter  wilderness,  and  the  remainder  over 
crags  and  mountains,  barren,  solitary,  and  wrapped  in  the  hor- 
rors of  winter.  No  man  in  Mexico,  except  Santa  Anna,  could 
have  condveted  that  march  a  single  day. 

On  the  morning  of  the  22d,  the  Mexicans  were  seen  ap- 
proaching in  immense  numbers  across  the  neighbouring  hills ; 
and  about  noon,  Santa  Anna  sent  a  summons  to  General  Tay- 
lor to  surrender  at  discretion.  Although  the  force  of  the 
Americans  was  only  about  forty-five  hundred,  their  general 
declined  acceding  to  the  request.    In  the  afternoon,  a  portion 

the  enemy  commenced  an  attack  upon  the  American  left, 
ind  a  heavy  cannonade  was  maintained  till  dark,  during  which 


Where  was  he  on  the  20th  of  Feb- 
ruary ? 

What  position  did  he  finally  occupy  ? 
Had  this  been  the  original  design  ot 

Santa  Anna? 
How  had  he  been  employed  during 

the  armistice  ? 
What  forced  him  to  abandon  this 

policy  t 


Describe  the  condition  of  his  ami> 
during  his  march. 

What  is  said  of  it  ? 

When  were  the  Mexicans  seen  ap- 
proaching ? 

What  is  said  of  the  summons  to  siur- 
render  ? 

What  is  said  of  the  skirmidb  tt 

evening  ? 


422 


BATTLE  OF  BUENA  VISTA. 


the  Mexican  guns  on  the  upper  plateau,  sixty  or  seventy  feet 
jibove  the  smaller  one,  were  turned  on  the  American  army, 
though  without  producing  any  impression,  Taylor's  artillery 
replying  steadily  and  with  better  effect.  Meanwhile,  the 
Mexican  light  troops  under  General  Ampudia  crept  up  the 
slope  of  the  mountains,  and  began  a  rapid  fire  on  the  Ameri- 
can left.    This,  too,  was  returned  with  spirit. 

During  the  remainder  of  the  day  the  skirmishing  of  the 
light  troops  on  the  side  and  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain 
continued,  till  as  night  set  in  a  shell  was  sent  up  by  the 
Mexicans,  and  at  this  signal  the  firing  ceased,  both  forces 
bivouacking  on  the  field,  and  preparing  for  the  decisive  action 
of  the  next  day.  Santa  Anna  had  the  advantage  of  numbers, 
but  his  troops  were  ill-equipped,  poorly  fed,  and  undisciplined. 
During  the  night  he  reinforced  his  right,  and  made  prepara- 
tions for  turning  it  and  gaining  the  rear  of  the  American 
forces,  to  compel  them  to  fall  back. 

At  sunrise  of  the  23d,  the  battle  began  in  earnest.  The  dark 
lines  of  Mexican  infantry  were  drawn  out  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach,  and  their  cavalry  seemp'i  to  cover  the  whole  plain 
with  interminable  lines.  After  the  dispositions  for  battle  had 
been  completed,  both  armies  opened  their  artillery  on  the  left, 
and  at  the  same  moment  the  Mexican  infantry  commenced  a 
rapid  fire  of  musketry.  Meanwhile,  a  part  of  the  enemy's 
cavalry  wound  along  the  mountain  defiles,  and  although  en- 
countering great  opposition,  gained  a  position  favourable  for 
attacking  the  American  rear.  To  prevent  this,  the  artillery 
was  advanced  against  them,  and  after  several  discharges,  com- 
pietely  dispersed  them  with  heavy  loss.  They  rallied  twicb, 
orut  were  as  often  driven  back,  taking  refuge  after  the  last 
charge  among  the  mountains,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  valley. 
At  this  important  moment,  when  their  capture  seemed  almost 
certain,  Santa  Anna  sent  a  white  flag  to  General  Taylor, 
desiring  to  know  what  he  wanted.  The  delay  occasioned 
in  answering  this,  gave  opportunity  for  the  cavalry  to  escape 
from  their  perilous  position  and  effect  a  junction  with  the  maia 
body. 

The  Mexicans  now  came  on  in  dense  masses,  and  for  a  long 
while  the  slaughter  on  both  sides  was  dreadful.    A  superioi 


Describe  the  appearance  of  the  army 

on  the  23d  ? 
How  did  the  battle  commence  f 


Describe  the  movementa  of  the 

cavalry. 

How  did  Santa  Annii  my  th«  mr 
tiryf 


BATTLE  OP  BXJBNA  V^A. 


RESULT  OF  TVIE  BATTLE. 


423 


h*rt9  of  the  enftiny  routed  one  regiment,  and  drove  back  two 
others,  compelling  Captain  O'Brien,  who  with  two  pieces  of 
artillery  had  sustained  their  heavy  charge,  until  every  one  of 
his  men  was  killed  or  wounded,  to  leave  his  guns  and  fall  back. 
At  this  critical  period,  the  commander  ordered  Captain  Bragg 
to  advance  with  his  artillery,  which  he  did,  overthrowing  the 
masses  of  the  enemy  when  they  were  within  a  few  yards  of 
his  guns.  In  their  retreat,  the  enemy  encountered  the  second 
Kentucky  regiment,  and  a  severe  conflict  took  place  in  a 
ravine  ;  here  the  loss  of  the  Americans  was  very  severe, 
especially  in  oflicers,  although  they  succeeded  in  repulsing  the 
Mexicans.  At  night  the  Americans  slept  on  the  battle  field, 
and  the  enemy  retired  to  Agua  Nueva. 

The  American  force  actually  engaged  in  this  battle  was 
about  4500  men  ;  their  loss  was  267  killed,  456  wounded,  and 
23  missing  ;  that  of  the  enemy  was  nearly  2000. 

Of  all  the  battles  fought  during  the  present  war  with  Mexico 
this  is  perhaps  the  most  remarkable.  It  was  the  test,  the 
criterion  of  national  valour.  Both  countries  had  anticipated 
it  with  painful  forebodings ;  for  it  was  known  to  form  a  crisis, 
which  in  its  causes,  nature,  and  consequences,  would  never 
rise  again.  Hitherto  victories  had  been  gained  over  generals 
but  little  distinguished  in  war's  great  drama ;  now  their  con- 
queror was  met  by  one  on  whom  rested  the  experience  of 
campaigns,  revolutions,  and  counter-revolutions,  and  whose 
popularity  was  such,  that  at  a  nod,  he  gathered  around  him  a 
host  of  twenty  thousand  men,  and  conducted  them  successfully 
through  all  that  soldiers  can  endure.  Fame  announced  his 
coming  long  before  his  columns  appeared  in  sight;  and  when 
he  stood  on  the  heights  of  Angostura,  and  saw  sweeping  before 
him  his  innumerable  legions,  victory  seemed  already  within 
his  grasp. 

And  to  oppose  this  general  and  his  army  were  a  little  troop, 
less  in  number  than  their  opposer's  cavalry,  and  apparently 
inferior  in  every  thing  save  strength  of  position.  But  energy, 
terrible  and  resistless,  slept  among  that  iron  band ;  could  one 
be  found  capable  of  routing  it,  of  uniting  its  powers,  and 
hurling  it  against  an  enemy,  opposing  thousands  would  yield 
to  its  overwhelming  force.    That  one  they  nad  among  them* 


Describe  the  charge  of  the  Mcxi« 
cans. 

The  bravery  of  Captain  Bragg. 
The  fight  wiih  ♦he  Kentucky  regi- 
ment. 
The  final  reBuii. 


What  was  the  American  force  in 

thip  Dattle  ? 
Their  loss  ? 

The  loss  of  the  Mexicans  ? 
Give  the  remarks  on  the  battk  of 
Buena  Vista. 


HOMAAftDlttlNT  OF  VttiA  CtlDt. 


It  was  Gei.eral  Taylor.  Some  had  followed  him  ihroujil 
excitement  and  danger,  on  the  plains  of  Texas,  and  amid  the 
volcanic  blaze  of  Monterey ;  but  the  greater  part  were  thosa 
whose  hope  was  soon  to  be  led  by  him,  to  their  nrst  bloody 
field.  A  command,  a  nod  from  him  would  have  driven  them, 
like  a  hurricane,  on  a  forest  of  bayonets,  or  up  to  the  cannon'i 
blast.  In  the  darkest  moments  of  that  gloomy  day,  when  long- 
loved  camp-mates  were  piled  in  bleeding  masses,  in  every 
ravine,  his  voice  kept  the  shattered  regiments  to  their  posts, 
and  was  heard  by  the  dying  soldier,  with  a  thrill  that  eased 
his  final  agonies.  No  doubt  many  battled  there  for  glory; 
many  through  patriotism,  and  many  in  the  wild  sweepings  of 
passion;  but  all  fought  for  General  Taylor.  With  him  iia 
command,  each  soldier  became  a  host,  and  supplied  in  eflH- 
ciency  the  lack  of  numbers.  When,  in  the  lancers'  final 
charge.  Captain  Bragg  stood  almost  alone,  few  generals  would 
have  stood  as  Taylor  did,  and  watched  with  his  piercing  eye, 
the  foe's  advance ;  and  when  the  huge  host  was  hurled  back, 
and  the  last  triumphant  shout  of  our  army  went  up,  it  was  for 
General  Taylor  more  than  for  victory. 

This  has  been  the  last  important  feat  of  General  Taylor ;  a 
jruitless  pursuit  of  Urrea  followed ;  but  that  officer  managed 
to  escape  with  all  his  cavalry,  beyond  the  mountains.  Gene- 
ral Taylor  then  encamped  near  Monterey,  where  he  is  at 
present. 

Soon  after  the  termination  to  Taylor's  brilliant  career.  Gene- 
ral Scott  commenced  one  no  less  splendid,  in  the  southern 
part  of  Mexico.  He  reached  the  Rio  Grande  on  the  first  of 
January,  and  on  the  9th  of  March,  with  the  assistance  of 
Commodore  Conner,  of  the  Gulf  squadron,  disembarked  hie 
troops  near  Vera  Cruz,  and  the  castle  of  San  Juan  de  UUoa, 
From  this  time  to  the  22d,  the  Americans  were  busily  employe^J 
in  landing  shells  and  shot,  planting  batteries,  and  prepari..g  for 
the  contemplated  siege.  The  city  was  then  summonea  t-} 
surrender,  and  on  receiving  a  negative  answer.  General  Scon 
opened  his  heavy  mortars,  and  the  bombardment  commenced 
It  was  continued  with  immense  destruction  of  life  and  property 
to  the  Mexicans  until  the  27th,  when  General  Landero,  com 
mandant  of  the  city  and  castle,  commenced  negotiations  iot 
their  surrender. 


Wha'.  was  don«  by  Taylor  after  the  From  the  9th  to  the  22d  t 

battle  ?  On  the  22d  ? 

When  did  Scott  reach  Mexico  ?  How  long  did  the  8ieg«  iMf 

What  ensued  on  the  9lh  of  March  ? 


StTRRENDEft  OF  VlCRA  CRUZ. 


Several  of  the  foreign  consuls  in  Vera  Crnz  had  addressee^ 
a  note  to  General  Scott,  asking  a  suspension  of  hostilities 
sufficiently  long  to  enable  the  subjects  of  the  powers  whom 
they  represented  to  leave  the  city  with  their  women  and 
children,  as  well  as  the  Mexican  women  and  children.  This, 
however.  General  Scott  declined  to  permit,  as  neutrals  had 
sufficient  time  to  withdraw  before  the  bombardment. 

Twenty-five  hundred  shot  and  shell  were  thrown  into  the 
city,  killing  and  wounding  six  hundred  of  the  soldiery  and 
destroying  four  or  five  hundred  of  the  inhabitants.  Much 
of  the  town  was  laid  io  ruins.  From  La  Merced  Gate  to 
the  parish  church,  nearly  every  house  was  in  ruins. 

Finding  themselves  unable  to  save  Vera  Cruz,  the  Mexi- 
cans finally  proposed  to  surrender  the  city  and  castle.  When 
negotiations  began,  commissioners  were  appointed  by  both 
trmies,  who  finally  agreed  on  terras  of  which  the  following 
the  substance. — The  whole  garrison  or  garrisons  to  lay  down 
their  arms  and  surrender  themselves  prisoners  of  war.  The 
Mexican  officers  to  retain  their  arms  and  private  effects,  and 
to  be  allowed  five  days  to  retire  to  their  respective  homes  on 
parole.  The  public  property  of  every  description  to  be  de- 
livered up  to  the  United  States,  on  condition  that  it  would  be 
restored  to  Mexico,  by  a  definite  treaty  of  peace. 

On  the  29th,  the  Mexicans  marched  out  of  the  city  and  castle, 
and  halting  between  the  American  lines,  stacked  their  arms, 
laid  down  their  colours  and  equipments,  and  then  marched 
toward  the  interior.  Immediately  after,  the  American  flag  was 
hoisted  over  the  castle  and  saluted  by  its  guns  and  those  of 
the  fleet.  Worth  was  appointed  military  governor  of  the  city, 
Colonel  Belton  of  the  castle;  and  Major  Scott  of  Fort  San- 
tiago. 

During  the  siege,  our  army  lost  seventeen  killed  and  twenty- 
eight  wounded.  The  Mexican  loss  was  very  great — beside 
soldiers,  upwards  of  five  hundred  women,  men  and  children, 
were  killed  by  bombs  or  falling  houses. 

The  spoils  taken  by  the  Americans  were  immense.  The 
enemy  laid  down  more  than  four  thousand  stsnd  of  arras,  and 
one  thousanu  mare  were  found  in  the  city.  Four  hundred 
pieces  of  ordnance,  a  large  quantity  of  ordnance  stores^  includ* 
ing  a  vast  amount  of  powder,  balls,  shells,  and  Paixhan  shot, 
were  also  surrendered. 

Iraraediately  after  the  departure  of  the  Mexicans,  Lieutenant 


Smt  tne  terms  of  capitulation.      1  What  was  the  loss  on  each  ade  t 
When  was  the  city  evacuated  ?        |  What  spoils  were  taken  bf  tkm 
Who  was  appointed  governor  t  Americans  f 


426 


BATTLE  OF  CK.RRO  OORM 


Hunter,  of  the  navy,  captured  the  towns  of  Alvarado  and 
Tlacotalpain,  without  firing  a  gun. 

Early  in  April,  General  Scott  commenced  his  march  foi 
the  interior  of  Mexico,  and  on  the  16th,  arrived  at  the  strong 
mountain  pass  of  Cerro  Gordo,  where  Santa  Anna  was  securely 
intrenched,  with  more  than  eleven  thousand  men.  Although 
the  American  force  numbered  but  about  seven  thousand,  it 
was  determined  to  storm  the  fortifications.  On  the  afternoon 
of  the  17th,  a  reconnoissance  of  the  enemy's  position  took 
place,  and  a  new  road  was  opened  behind  the  fort  which  com 
manded  the  Sierra.  In  the  evening  some  skirmishing  took 
place  between  General  Twiggs's  command,  and  one  of  the 
Mexican  forts  ;  the  fort  was  captured,  but  nothing  serious  WaS 
eflJected  until  the  following  morning. 

Early  on  the  18th,  Twiggs  was  ordered  against  the  main 
works.  Shields  and  Worth  against  the  fortifications  on  the  left, 
and  Pillow  against  the  strong  forts  and  diflficult  ascents  on  the 
right  of  the  enemy's  position.  Notwithstanding  the  dreadful 
fire  to  which  the  troops  were  exposed,  all  these  attacks  were 
successful  except  that  by  General  Pillow.  After  fighting  most 
gallantly,  he  was  obliged  to  withdraw  his  men  ;  but  the  fort 
(commanded  by  General  La  Vega)  subsequently  surrendered 
to  him  on  learning  the  capture  of  the  other  places. 

The  victory  was  complete.  Five  Mexican  generals  and 
nearly  six  thousand  men  surrendered  themselves  prisoners  ol 
war.  The  loss  on  each  side  was  between  four  and  five  hun- 
dred killed  and  wounded.  A  large  quantity  of  fixed  ammuni- 
tion, thirty  pieces  of  brass  cannon,  together  with  the  private 
oaggage  and  money-chest  of  Santa  Anna,  were  some  of  the 
trophies  of  victory.  Santa  Anna,  Ampudia,  and  Canalizo, 
with  about  half  the  Mexican  army,  eflfected  a  rapid  retreat 
^nto  the  interior. 

On  the  same  day,  a  portion  of  the  American  fleet  under 
command  of  Commodore  Perry  entered  the  harbour  of  Tus- 
pan,  attacked  the  town,  and  finally  obtained  possession  of  it, 
with  the  loss  of  but  seventeen  men  killed  and  wounded.  This 
victory  placed  the  gulf  coast  completely  in  the  hands  of  the 
Americans. 


Whut  was  done  by  Lieutenant  Hun- 
ter of  the  navy  ? 

When  did  General  Scott  reach  Cer- 
ro Gordo? 

What  was  done  on  the  17th  f 

Describe  the  order  of  battle. 

The  battle  itself. 


Mention  the  trophies  of  this  victory. 

What  generals  escaped  ? 

On  the  same  day,  what  was  dene  by 

the  fleet  ? 
What  was  the  consequence  of  this 

victory  t 


BATTLE  OF  SACHAMENTO. 


42? 


During  these  operations  of  the  main  armies  under  Scott  and 
Taylor,  two  small  forces  under  General  Kearny,  and  Lieu* 
tenant-Colonel  Fremont,  assisted  by  the  squadron  of  Commo- 
doie  Stockton,  took  possession  of  the  provinces  of  California 
and  New  Mexico,  a  territory  equal  in  extent  to  the  thirteen 
original  states  of  the  American  Union. 

These  conquests,  however,  were  not  obtained  without  con* 
siderable  battle  aud  bloodshed.  On  the  11th  of  June,  a  few 
men  of  Fremont's  company  captured  about  two  hundred 
horses,  destined  for  the  Mexican  General  Castro's  camp ;  and 
on  the  15th,  the  colonel,  after  a  short  resistance,  captured  the 
military  pass  at  Sanoma,  together  with  nine  brass  cannon,  two 
hundred  and  fifty  muskets,  and  some  prisoners.  On  the  25th, 
another  skirmish  took  place  with  ninety  dragoons,  of  whom 
five  were  killed. 

On  the  25th  of  December  an  engagement  took  place  at  El 
Paso  de  Bracito,  between  six  hundred  Americans  under  Colonel 
Doniphan,  and  eleven  hundred  Mexicans.  After  an  obstinate 
conriict  the  latter  were  defeated,  with  a  loss  of  thirty  killed 
and  about  the  same  number  wounded.  The  Americans  had 
but  seven  slightly  wounded. 

This  battle  was  followed  by  another  (Jan.  24th)  ne^r  the  vil* 
lage  of  Jja  Canada,  in  which  Colonel  Price,  with  two  hun- 
dred and  ninety  Aniericans  defeated  a  body  of  Mexicans  with 
a  loss  of  thirty-six  killed  and  forty-five  wounded. 

Five  days  after  this.  Colonel  Price  fought  another  battle  at 
El  Embudo,  defeating  the  enemy  with  a  loss  of  twenty  killed 
and  sixty  wounded.  On  the  3d  of  February  he  commenced 
an  attack  upon  the  village  of  Pueblo  de  Taos,  which  continued 
for  three  days,  when  it  capitulated.  This  ended  the  campaign 
in  New  Mexico. 

On  the  28th,  Colonel  Dcniphan,  with  nine  hundred  men, 
fought  the  battle  of  Sacramento,  with  twelve  hundred  Mexican 
cavalry,  twelve  hundred  infantry,  three  hundred  artillerists, 
and  fourteen  hundred  rancheros.  The  enemy  were  intrenched 
m  one  of  the  strongest  mountain  passes  of  Mexico,  and  pro- 
vided with  sixteen  pieces  of  artillery.  The  whole  was  com- 
manded by  General  Hendea. 


What  other  military  operations  were 

going  on  at  the  same  time  ? 
Describe  the  skirmish  of  June  1 1  th. 
Describe  the  battle  of  the  15th  ? 
The  battle  of  Bracito. 
What  was  the  loss  on  each  side  f 
When  wus  .he  action  at  La  Canada 


Describe  it. 

Give  an  account  of  the  battlo  at  EI 

Embudo. 
At  Pueblo  de  Taos. 
Describe  the  position  and  force  of 

the  armies  at  Sacramento 


428 


BATTLE  OF  CONTRERA.9 


The  action  commenced  at  three  o'clock,  P.  M.,  and  continued 
until  night.  Our  troops  made  charge  after  charge,  moving 
among  drizzling  fires  with  a  coolness  and  precision  astonish- 
ing even  to  the  leaders.  The  Mexicans  were  repulsed  at  every 
point,  and  completely  scattered,  leaving  six  hundred  on  the 
field,  half  of  whom  were  killed,  and  forty  prisoners.  The 
Americans  captured  all  the  artillery,  ten  wagons,  and  immense 
stores  of  provisions.  Their  loss  was  two  killed  and  sever 
wounded.  Next  day  formal  possession  was  taken  of  tht 
capital  of  Chihuahua,  in  the  name  of  the  United  States. 

On  the  19th  of  April,  General  Twiggs  took  possession  of 
the  town  of  Jalapa  ;  and  General  Worth,  on  the  22d,  entered 
ihe  town  and  castle  of  Perote,  one  of  the  strongest  in  Mexico. 
On  the  15th  of  May,  after  a  slight  resistance  from  a  party  of 
cavalry,  the  same  enterprising  officer  received  the  surrender  of 
Puebla,  which  contains  eighty  thousand  inhabitants. 

The  main  army  encamped  at  Puebla  until  the  8th  of  Au* 
gust,  when  General  Scott  commenced  his  march  for  the  capital 
of  Mexico.  On  the  18th,  the  troops  reached  San  Augustin, 
after  having  opened  a  road  around  Lake  Chalco,  in  order  to 
avoid  passing  the  fortification  of  Penon.  They  passed  the 
night  near  this  place,  and  on  the  following  morning  General 
Worth  advanced  toward  the  enemy  with  a  small  reconnoiter- 
ing  party  in  advance.  The  latter  were  fired  on  near  the  forti- 
fication of  San  Antonio,  Captain  Thornton  killed,  and  a  guide 
wounded. 

About  one  o'clock,  after  a  most  fatiguing  march  of  five 
hours.  Generals  Pillow  and  Twiggs  arrived  before  the  forti- 
fication of  Contreras,  which  the  enemy  had  garrisoned  and 
strengthened  with  the  greatest  care.  General  Smith  and 
Colonel  Riley  commenced  the  attack,  and  during  the  whole 
afternoon,  the  assault  continued  with  the  utmost  fury.  Night 
found  the  fort  still  in  possession  of  the  Mexicans,  and  deeming 
farther  effort  useless  until  morning.  General  Scott  ordered  the 
firing  to  cease.  The  troops  bivouacked  on  the  open  plain 
without  fire  or  blankets,  although  exposed  to  violent  storms 
of  rain. 

Before  daylight  on  the  20th,  Smith  and  Riley  carried  th 


Give  an  account  of  the  action  at  Sac- 
ramento. 

What  was  the  result? 

The  loss  on  each  side  ? 

What  was  done  by  Twiggs  on  the 
19th  of  April  ? 

By  Worth  on  the  22d  ? 

On  the  15tb  of  May  ? 


When  did  General  Scott  march 

from  Puebla  ? 
How  and  when  did  he  reach  Saa 

Augustin  ? 
What  took  place  on  the  mormng  ol 

the  19ih? 
Describe  the  attack  on  Cohtreraa 
How  did  the  army  pass  the  night  i 


AS  ARMISTICE. 


Works  amid  a  fire  from  twenty-two  large  cannon  ;  au  ^nersi 
Twiggs,  arri^ing  soon  after,  commenced  a  pursu  of  the 
enemy,  which  was  continued  to  the  gates  of  tK^i  capital. 
About  the  same  time,  General  Worth  captured  ^•an  Antonio 
and  soon  afterward  the  last  strong  hold  of  th*^  >3aemy,  Churu- 
busco.  In  this  place  every  public  edifice  "^y^s  scaffolded  fcr 
infantry,  who  also  lined  the  windows,  roc 'a,  and  battleme«its. 

The  strength  of  the  enemy  at  these  battles  was  about  fifteen 
thousand  men,  all  fresh  troops,  and  intrenched  with  works  of 
uncommon  strength.  Opposed  to  them  were  about  six  thou- 
sand Americans,  jaded  by  marches  and  countermarches.  The 
aggregate  loss  of  the  former  in  killed  and  wounded,  was  four 
thousand  men,  including  five  ex-presideni»  and  thirteen  gene- 
rals ;  that  of  the  latter,  eleven  hundred.  General  Scott  was 
slightly  wounded  in  the  knee. 

On  the  21st,  the  offer  of  an  armistice  was  made  to  the 
Mexicans  by  General  Scott,  and  gladly  accepted.  The  terms 
were,  that  neither  army  should  be  reinforced,  nor  erect  any  for- 
tifications, while  it  lasted — which  depended  upon  the  pleasure 
of  each  commander;  and  that  full  privilege  should  be  given 
to  merchants  and  dealers  in  provisions,  to  pass  to  and  from 
each  camp.  Meanwhile  negotiations  for  a  permanent  treaty 
were  commenced  by  Mr.  Trist,  the  American  plenipotentiary 
and  Mexican  commissioners  appointed  by  Santa  Anna.  These, 
however,  could  not  agree  upon  the  boundary  line  of  Texas, 
and  closed  their  conference. 

On  the  6th  of  September,  General  Scott  accused  Santa 
Anna  of  violating  the  terms  of  the  armistice,  by  repeatedly 
preventing  the  transportation  of  supplies  to  the  American 
army,  and  threatened  a  recommencement  of  hostilities  at  noon 
of  the  following  day,  unless  satisfaction  were  given.  The 
Mexican  general  replied  by  laying  a  similar  charge  to  the 
Americans,  and  accordingly  the  truce  was  declared  at  an  end 

On  the  morning  of  the  8th,  Worth's  division  assisted  by  the 
brigade  of  General  Cadwalader,  was  detached  against  some 
buildings  near  the  Molina  del  Rey,  where  the  Mexicans  were 
engaged  in  casting  cannon  balls,  shells,  &c.  The  buildings 
called  Casa  Mata,  are  situated  west  of  Chapultepec,  and  within 
six  pound  range  of  the  fort.    West  of  these,  and  the  breast- 


What  was  done  on  the  20th  before 

daylight  ? 
By  General  Worth  at  the  same  time  ? 
How  was  Churubusco  defended  ? 
Describe  the  comparative  strength 

of  the  .wo  armies  in  these  battles. 
When  was  an  armistice  offered  7 


What  were  its  terms  ? 

What  was  the  result  of  the  snbM 

quent  negotiations  ? 
What  took  place  September  6tb  f 
What  took  place  on  the  8th? 
Describe  the  Casa  Mata. 


430  itOllMiNO  OF  MOLINO  DEI.  REY. 

works  around  ihem  is  a  large  open  plain,  gradually  descend- 
ing to  the  J  osition  occupied  by  the  Americans,  and  surrounded 
oy  a  deep  ravine,  which  runs  to  within  about  two  hundred 
yards  of  the  building  upon  which  rested  the  enemy's  right 
flank.  Two  twenty-four-pounders  belonging  to  Captain 
Huger's  siege  train  were  placed  in  a  position  to  batter  down 
the  breastworks  and  buildings,  should  they  be  found  occupied 
by  a  large  force.  About  the  same  time  General  Worth  ad- 
vanced his  infantry  down  the  plain,  and  attacked  the  enemy'* 
works  in  the  front  and  centre.  A  galling  fire  was  now  opened 
from  the  Mexican  centre  and  flanks,  which  swept  away  the 
American  columns  by  whole  companies.  OflScers  and  men 
were  piled  upon  each  other  in  bleeding  heaps,  and  for  awhile 
the  troops  paused. 

At  this  moment,  a  body  of  four  thousand  lancers  came  dash- 
ing down  from  the  enemy's  right,  so  as  to  charge  the  infantry 
while  in  confusion.  But  Colonel  Duncan  and  Captain  Drum 
rapidly  brought  their  batteries  into  action,  and  Major  Sumner 
with  two  squadrons  of  dragoons  assisted  by  Captain  Ruff's 
company  of  mounted  rifles,  passed  down  under  fire  from  the 
works,  charged  the  head  of  the  column,  and  put  it  to  rout. 
They  rallied  twice,  but  were  as  often  repulsed  by  the  Ameri- 
cans with  great  loss. 

After  this  signal  victory,  the  cavalry  and  infantry  charged 
the  works,  carried  the  buildings  and  fortifications,  driving  back 
the  enemy,  and  capturing  seven  pieces  of  artillery,  a  large 
quantity  of  ammunition  and  small  arms,  together  with  six 
hundred  prisoners.  The  artillery  was  turned  upon  the  enemy 
during  their  flight,  and  did  considerable  execution.  Some 
of  the  buildings  were  blown  up,  and  after  bringing  off  the 
killed  and  wounded  the  Americans  evacuated  the  place.  In 
this  assault  nothing  was  more  conspicuous  than  the  skill  and 
intrepidity  of  the  engineers.  In  the  performance  of  their 
laborious  and  dangerous  duties,  they  encountered  and  over- 
came difliiculties  of  the  most  appalling  magnitude.  During  the 
reconnoissance  preparatory  to  attack  they  were  frequently 
exj^osed  to  the  most  galling  cross  fires  or  the  enemy ;  and 
throughout  the  whole  struggle,  bore  the  heaviest  weight  of 
battle. 

The  loss  of  the  Americans  in  killed  and  wounded  was  very 


Describe  the  arrangements  for  at- 
tack. 

Describe  the  battle. 
What  facts  show  th«  destructiveness 
ot  th»  Mexican  fire  * 


Describe  the  charge  of  cavalry. 
The  final  assault. 

What  were  the  trophies  of  thia  vio 
tory  ? 

What  is  said  of  the  engineers  f 


STORMING  OF  CHAPULTEPEC. 


431 


heavy,  including  some  of  the  best  officers  of  the  army.  In 
charging  the  column  of  lancers,  the  cavaliy  passed  within 
range  of  the  fort,  and  though  not  more  than  ten  seconds  under 
its  fire,  they  had  six  officers  wounded,  thirty-two  privaten 
killed  and  wounded,  and  a  loss  of  one  hundred  and  five  horses 
But  two  horses  escaped  uninjured.  The  total  loss  of  our 
army  was  about  eight  hundred;  that  of  the  Mexicans  was 
trifling,  until  they  became  exposed  to  the  artillery  in  retreat. 

The  two  following  days  were  occupied  by  the  army  in  re- 
moving the  wounded  to  a  place  of  safety,  reconnoitering  the 
approaches  to  the  city,  and  preparing  for  an  attack  upon  Cha- 
pultepec.  These  duties  were  actively  performed  by  Generals 
Pillow,  Quitman,  and  Twiggs,  without  any  annoyance  from 
the  enemy.  The  artillery  and  cavalry  had  some  skirmishes 
with  the  Mexicans  who  continued  to  make  demonstrations  on 
diflierent  points.  On  the  11th,  a  small  reconnoitering  party 
under  Captain  Hardee,  was  attacked  by  a  large  body  of 
cavalry,  which  it  repulsed,  with  the  loss  of  six  killed  and 
several  wounded. 

About  sundtwn  General  Twiggs  arrived  at  Piedad,  and 
General  Pillow  moved  with  his  division  to  the  south  of  Tacu- 
baya,  taking  a  position  on  the  west  side  of  Chapultepec,  Gene- 
ral Worth  remained  at  Tacubaya,  while  General  Quitman  with 
his  division  occupied  the  road  leading  from  that  place  to  the 
city  of  Mexico.  During  the  night  heavy  batteries  were  planted 
at  difl!*erent  stations  around  Chapultepec,  and  every  arrange- 
ment completed  for  an  early  attack  on  the  following  morning. 
At  daylight  on  the  12th,  the  batteries  opened,  and  in  a  very 
little  time  began  to  take  eflfect  on  the  works.  The  fire  was 
returned  from  the  castle  with  earnestness,  and  the  assault 
raged  with  great  fury  throughout  the  day.  On  the  ensumg 
morning  Pillow's  division,  assisted  by  General  Worth's,  was 
ordered  to  storm  the  works.  They  advanced  over  rocks,  and 
through  dense  woods,  driving  the  enemy  out  before  them,  until 
they  came  within  range  of  the  works,  bristling  with  bayonets 
and  artillery.  The  troops  then  swept  on  in  the  face  of  a  mur- 
derous fire,  and  reached  the  outer  fort.  A  soldier  leaped  forward 
with  a  standard,  and  accompanied  by  a  few  others  planted 
some  ladders  against  the  works  and  rushed  over  the  walls 


Give  the  loss  on  each  side. 

How  were  the  two  following;  days 

occupied  ? 
What  skirra  shes  took  place  f 
How  were  the  American  generals 


Describe  the  operations  of  the 
12th. 

What  diviaionfl  stormed  ChapuUt 
pec? 

Describe  their  march. 
The  attack 


432       /IMERICAN  ARMY   ENTERS  THE   CITY  OF  MEXICO. 


The  Wiiole  army  followed  with  loud  shouts,  sweeping  afl 
before  them  Ake  a  whirlwind,  and  turning  the  guns  upon  their 
^ormer  owners. 

A  large  number  of  prisoners  was  taken  in  the  fort,  among 
whom  was  General  Bravo.  The  interior  presented  a  melan- 
choly spectacle.  A  great  quantity  of  the  works  were  a  masn 
of  ruins,  among  which  the  dead  and  dying  were  strewed  in 
all  directions  ;  the  large  building  occupied  as  a  military  school, 
was  completely  riddled  ;  while  the  well  selected  and  valuable 
library,  together  with  furniture  and  ornaments,  was  in  utter 
confusion.  Meanwhile,  General  Quitman  had  attacked  the 
enemy  on  the  south  and  west,  where  they  had  posted  them- 
selves by  the  aqueduct,  and  thrown  defences  across  the  road. 
All  their  works  were  carried  ;  and  after  leaving  a  small  garri- 
son m  Chapultepec,  the  army  marched  toward  the  capital, 
General  Quitman  moving  by  the  Tacubaya  road,  and  General 
Worth  by  the  San  Cosme  The  Mexicans  resisted  at  every 
step,  having  erected  works  across  the  road  at  different  places, 
from  which  they  harassed  every  part  of  the  American  columns 
One  station  after  another  was  carried,  till  at  night  the  enemy 
had  been  driven  within  the  gates  of  Mexico.  On  arriving  at 
the  Tacubaya  gate,  Quitman  came  in  range  of  the  citadel,  from 
which  a  shower  of  iron  hail  was  incessantly  poured  upon  his 
ranks.  The  struggle  at  this  place  was  tremendous,  and  ended 
only  with  the  close  of  day. 

At  midnight,  commissioners  from  the  city,  bearing  a  flag  of 
truce,  visited  General  Scott,  stating  that  Santa  Anna  had  evacu- 
ated it  with  his  army,  and  that  it  was  now  at  his  disposal.  On 
the  following  morning,  (September  14th,)  Generals  Quitman  and 
Smith  entered  the  Mational  Plaza;  and  at  eight  o'clock,  were 
followed  by  General  Scott  and  staff  fti  full  uniform.  The  stars 
and  stripes  were  hoisted  over  the  halls  of  Montezuma,  and 
the  long  wild  cheers  of  the  army  announced  that  the  anxiously 
desired  goal  had  been  reached. 

Before  leaving  the  city  Santa  Anna  had  liberated  all  the 
cri^ninals  of  the  different  prisons,  and  armed  them  for  the 
purpose  of  murdering  the  Americans  as  they  entered.  Ac- 
cordingly when  the  heads  of  columns  approached  the  centre 
of  the  city,  they  were  fired  upon  from  windows,  scaffolds, 


The  appearance  of  the  fort. 
What  was  done  by  Quitman  ? 
Whither  did  the  Americans  advance? 
Did  the  Mexicans  oppose  tk  eir  fro- 


What  took  place  at  midnight  t 
When  was  the  capital  entered  I 
By  what  generals  ? 
What  had  been  done  by  Santa  Annaf 
How  were  the  Americans  annoyad  i 


REVOLT  OF   SANTA   ANNA*S  TROOPS. 


4SZ 


and  the  ops  of  houses,  and  showers  of  stones  di^char^ea 
upon  them.  The  artillery  and  rifle  companies  were  detachea 
against  them,  with  considerable  eflfect ;  yet  the  firing  continued 
not  only  all  day,  but  was  renewed  next  morning.  General 
Scott  then  informed  the  civil  authorities  that  unless  they  would 
interfere,  to  prevent  such  outrages,  he  would  blow  up  all  the 
houses  from  which  guns  had  been  fired.  This  had  the  desired 
3frect,  and  toward  evening  every  thing  was  quiet. 

Soon  after  this  the  stores  and  churches  were  opened,  and 
he  city  once  more  assumed  a  cheerful  appearance*  General 
Quitman  was  appointed  military  governor,  and  by  prompt  and 
energetic  measures  restored  order  and  confidence  among  sol- 
diers and  citizens.  Captain  Charles  Naylor  received  the 
superintendence  of  the  National  Palace,  and  ha*  contributed 
largely  to  the  good  order  of  the  city. 

On  the  25th  of  September,  Santa  Anna  appeared  before 
Puebla,  and  in  a  summons  stating  his  force  to  oe  eight  thou- 
sand, ordered  Colonel  Childs,  the  commandant  of  the  city,  to 
surrender.  Having  received  a  refusal  to  his  demand,  he  pre- 
pared to  cannonade  the  works.  Accordingly,  on  the  evening 
of  the  27th,  the  points  of  San  Juan,  Santa  Rosa,  and  Santa 
xMonica,  opened  their  batteries  upon  the  Americans.  They 
stopped  during  the  night,  but  were  renewed  on  the  following 
morning,  and  continued  through  the  day.  By  order  of  Santa 
A.nna,  four  hundred  cotton  bales  were  piled  into  a  breastwork, 
along  which  the  action  raged  with  great  fury. 

On  the  1st  of  October,  Santa  Anna,  with  two  thousand 
cavalry  and  infantry,  and  three  pieces  of  artillery,  left  Puebla, 
in  order  to  attack  the  American  train  from  Jalapa.  He  reached 
Perote  on  the  4th,  but  was  prevented  from  carrying  on  the 
expedition,  by  a  mutiny  which  deprived  him  of  all  the  troops 
except  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  hussars.  The  troops 
attributed  the  unfortunate  events  of  the  war  to  his  incapacity 
and  unsuccessfulness,  and  denounced  him  as  a  traitor. 

On  the  1st  of  October,  Brigadier-General  Lane,  witn  a 
considerable  force,  left  Jalapa,  and  advanced  toward  Puebla 
Arriving  at  Perote  he  was  reinforced  by  the  1st  Pennsylvania 
regiment,  swelling  his  army  to  three  thousand  men,  with  which 
he  marched  to  within  thirty-five  miles  of  Puebla.    Here  he 


How  was  quietness  restored  ? 
Who  was  appointed  military  gover- 
nor ? 

What  is  said  of  Captain  Naylor  ? 
What  took  place  on  the  25th  ? 
pMcribd  the  connonade  of  Puebla. 

37 


What  expedition  was  undertaken  by 
Santa  Anna  on  the  1st  of  October 

Why  was  it  abandoned  ? 

What  took  place  October  Istf 

IVhere  was  General  Lane  nm 
forced  ? 


134 


BATTLE  OF  HUAMANTLA. 


received  information  that  Santa  Anna  was  still  in  command  of 
the  Mexican  army  at  the  town  of  Huamantla.  His  force  was 
four  thousand  men  and  several  pieces  of  artillery. 

Leaving  his  baggage  and  a  portion  of  artillery  at  the  hacienda 
of  Taman's,  General  Lane  pushed  forward  (Oct.  9th)  toward 
Huamantla.  Two  hundred  mounted  men  under  Captain 
Walker  were  in  advance,  with  instructions  to  act  as  circum- 
stances might  require.  Unapprized  of  General  Lane's  move- 
ment, Santa  Anna  had  left  Huamanda  during  the  night  at  the 
head  of  the  army,  leaving  at  the  town  five  hundred  men  and 
the  artillerists  to  bring  up  the  cannon.  As  the  Mexican  cavalry 
advanced,  they  unexpectedly  encountered  Walker's  men  and 
believing  it  to  be  the  American  army,  they  hurwed  back  to  ihe 
town  in  order  to  save  their  artillery.  On  arriving  at  Hua- 
manda, Walker,  notwithstanding  the  disparity  of  numbers 
ordered  a  charge,  drove  away  the  five  hundred  men,  and  cap- 
tured four  guns.  He  then  suffered  his  troops  to  disperse,  not 
imagining  that  the  cavalry  of  Santa  Anna  were  hurrying  toward 
the  town,  in  overwhelming  numbers.  Suddenly  a  rush  was 
made  into  the  plaza  where  Walker  was  standing  with  about 
sixty  men.  The  latter  were  soon  rallied  and  took  a  position 
m  front  of  a  church,  where  they  received  the  enemy's  fierce 
charge.  A  murderous  battle  took  place,  in  which  Walker  was 
killed.  Captain  Lewis  then  rallied  the  few  remaining  men, 
and  with  the  aid  of  a  captured  cannon  maintained  his  position 
until  the  arrival  of  the  American  infantry.  A  scattering  fire 
then  took  place,  after  which  the  Mexicans  withdrew.  In  this 
affair  the  American  loss  was  thirteen  killed  and  eleven  wounded ; 
that  of  the  Mexicans  exceeded  one  hundred. 

On  the  19th,  General  Lane  left  Perote,  and  marched  toward 
Atlisco,  about  ten  leagues  distance,  where  he  had  been  informed 
that  General  Rea  was  posted  with  a  considerable  force.  A 
four  P.  M.  he  arrived  in  sight  of  the  enemy,  and  halted  to 
await  the  arrival  of  his  cavalry.  A  charge  was  then  ordered, 
which  resulted  in  a  running  fight  of  an  hour's  duration.  On 
arriving  at  a  small  hill  the  Mexicans  halted,  and  fought  severely 
until  the  arrival  of  Lane's  infantry.  The  retreat  was  then 
resumed,  and  after  pursuing  for  about  four  miles  the  Ameri 
cans  suddenly  found  themselves  in  front  of  the  enemy  s  mam 


What  information  reached  General 

Lane  f 
Did  he  still  advance  % 
Give  an  iiccount  of  the  capture  of 

Huamantla. 
Ot  the  detth  of  Captain  Walker 


What  was  the  loss  f 
What  took  place  on  the  19th  f 
Who  commanded  at  Atlisco? 
Describe  the  skirmish  with  th9  Mexi- 

cad  advance. 
The  battle  with  the  main  bodf. 


TREATY  WITH  MEXICO. 


435 


body,  who  were  stationed  on  a  side  hill,  behind  rows  of  chapar 
ral.  Although  the  Americans  were  worn  down  with  fatigue, 
they  vigorously  charged  the  position,  driving  out  the  enemy, 
and  pursuing  them  towards  Atlisco. 

Night  had  now  set  in ;  but  a  brilliant  full  moon  enabled  the 
victors  to  pursue  their  advantage.  The  ground  was  so  rough 
that  the  artillery  could  not  advance  faster  than  at  a  walking 
pace,  which  exposed  them  considerably  while  approaching  the 
town.  As  General  Lane  was  totally  unacquainted  with  Atlisco, 
he  did  not  consider  it  prudent  to  enter ;  but,  posting  his  artil- 
lery on  a  neighboring  hill,  commenced  a  bombardment.  By 
moonlight,  the  spectacle  was  grand  and  impressive.  Every  gun 
was  served  with  the  utmost  rapidity;  and,  mingled  with  the 
loud,  solemn  roar,  was  the  crashing  of  walls  and  the  falling  of 
buildings.  In  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  the  authorities  waited 
upon  General  Lane,  requesting  that  it  might  be  spared.  He 
accordingly  took  possession  that  night. 

The  Mexican  loss  in  this  affair,  as  stated  by  General  Lane 
was  two  hundred  and  nineteen  killed,  and  three  hundred  wounded. 
He  reports  his  own  at  one  killed,  one  wounded.  On  the  follow- 
ing morning,  he  returned  to  Puebla. 

About  the  time  of  the  struggle  at  Atlisco,  Captain  Lavalette, 
with  part  of  the  American  squadron,  bombarded,  and  finally 
captured,  the  town  of  Guaymas,  situated  on  the  shores  of  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico.  Another  portion  of  the  United  States'  fleet 
had,  meanwhile,  taken  possession  of  the  city  of  Mazatlan,  also 
on  the  Mexican  Gulf 

For  several  months  after  the  capture  of  Mexico,  the  AmeA- 
can  forces  who  kept  up  the  communication  between  that  city  and 
the  sea-coast,  had  to  encounter  almost  daily  perils  from  the  attacks 
of  marauding  bands  of  guerrillas.  Led  on  by  an  ecclesiastic 
named  Jarauta,  they  exhibited  a  spirit  of  daring  and  ferocity 
that  rendered  them  far  more  troublesome  than  the  forces  of 
Santa  Anna  had  been.  Their  frequent  momentary  successes 
greatly  encouraged  the  Mexican  authorities,  and  long  delayed 
the  completion  of  the  treaty  of  peace  then  being  negotiated  by 
Mr.  Trist.  This  gentleman's  efforts,  however,  at  length  suc- 
ceeded; and,  in  the  spring  of  1848,  amicable  terms  were  once 
more  established  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico. 

By  this  treaty,  commonly  known  as  that  of  Gudalupe  Hidalgo, 
our  government  obtained  the  extensive  territories  of  New  Mexico 
and  Alta  California.    The  news  of  its  ratification  was  almost 


Describe  the  capture  of  Atlisco. 

What  followed? 

The  capture  of  Quaymas. 


What  was  the  state  of  things  ia 

Mexico  ? 
What  was  done  by  Triitt 


436 


ELECTION  OP  GEN.  TAYLOE. 


generally  received  with  satisfaction  by  the  people  of  both  cou»» 
tries.  Texas,  to  the  Rio  Grande,  was  secured  to  the  United 
States.  At  the  same  time,  the  American  government  agreed  to 
pay  $15,000,000  for  the  ceded  territories,  and  to  assume  debts 
amounting  to  $3,500,000,  due  by  Mexico  to  persons  in  the 
United  States. 

Alta,  or  Upper,  California,  a  portion  of  the  territory  thua 
obtained,  presently  proved  to  be  an  acquisition  of  the  highest 
importance.  In  May,  1848,  while  a  mill-race  was  being  exca- 
vated, near  Sutter's  Fort,  on  a  branch  of  the  Sacramento  river, 
gold  in  wonderful  quantities  was  discovered.  Tidings  of  this 
discovery  having  been  conveyed  to  the  Atlantic  States,  a  new 
impetus  was  given  to  the  tide  of  emigration;  and,  in  a  few 
months,  San  Francisco,  the  chief  port  of  California,  became  an 
extensive  city.  Under  the  enchantment  of  gold,  what  had  but 
lately  been  supposed  to  be  a  mere  grazing  country,  sprang  into 
existence  as  a  populous  territory,  with  numerous  cities  and 
towns,  to  which  the  attention  of  the  whole  world  of  commerce 
was  drawn. 

In  November,  1848,  the  Presidential  election  was  held. 
Three  different  candidates  were  in  the  field.  The  Whig  party 
took  up  General  Zachary  Taylor  for  President,  and  Millard 
Fillmore,  of  New  York,  for  Vice-President.  The  Democratic 
candidates  for  the  same  offices  were  General  Lewis  Cass  and 
General  William  0.  Butler.  The  third  party,  composed  of 
those  in  favor  of  prohibiting  the  extension  of  slavery,  and 
generally  known  as  the  Free  SoiF'  party,  supported  Martin 
Van  Buren  for  President,  and  Charles  F.  Adams  for  Vice-Presi- 
dent. Taylor  and  Fillmore  were  elected  j  and,  on  the  4th  of 
March,  1849,  entered  upon  the  duties  of  their  respective  offices. 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 

ADMINISTRATION  OP  GENERAL  TAYLOR. 

The  inaugural  a?ddress  of  President  Taylor  was  brief,  but 
plain  and  explicit.  John  M.  Clayton,  of  Delaware,  was  ap* 
pointed  Secretary  of  State ;  and  William  M.  Meredith,  of  Penn- 
sylvania, Secretary  of  the  Treasury.    During  the  recent  session 


Terms  of  the  treaty  ? 

What  transpired  in  California  ? 

What  took  place  in  Nov.  1848? 


Who  were  among  the  cabinet  ofl}' 
cers  of  President  Tayloy? 


HIS  DEATH 


487 


tt  Gougres8^  a  new  department,  called  the  Home  DepartmeDt^ 
and  intended  to  lighten  the  labors  of  the  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  had  been  created.  To  fulfil  the  duties  of  this  new 
branch  of  our  government,  the  President  selected  Thomas 
Ewing,  of  Ohio,  with  the  oflScial  title  of  Secretary  of  the 
Interior. 

During  the  following  year,  the  discussion  of  the  slavery  ques- 
tion was  the  source  of  much  excitement.  The  people  of  Cali- 
fornia met  in  convention  and  formed  a  State  Constitution,  by 
which  slavery  was  forever  prohibited.  This  prohibition,  on  th^ 
inchoate  State's  application  for  admission  into  the  Union,  occa- 
sioned no  little  asperity  in  the  debates  of  Congress.  Other 
questions,  as  those  respecting  the  claims  put  forth  by  Texas 
the  Territory  of  New  Mexico,  and  the  abolition  of  the  slave^* 
trade  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  helped  to  fan  the  flames  of 
sectional  animosity;  and  it  soon  became  apparent  that,  unless 
the  moderate  men,  both  of  the  North  and  South,  united  upon 
conciliatory  measures,  Congress  would  be  unable  to  transact  any 
business. 

On  the  19th  of  April,  1850,  a  select  committee  of  thirteen, 
having  Henry  Clay  for  its  chairman,  was  appointed  by  the 
Senate,  to  prepare  a  bill  for  the  restoration  of  harmony  to  the 
national  councils.  This  bill,  known  as  the  ^*  Omnibus  Bill," 
provided  for  the  admission  of  California ;  for  territorial  govern- 
ments in  Utah  and  New  Mexico ;  for  paying  Texas  to  relinquish 
her  claim  upon  the  latter  Territory ;  and  for  the  abolition  of  the 
slave-trade  in  the  District  of  Columbia.  Its  discussion  lasted 
about  two  months;  and  elicited  in  Congress  a  display  of  elo- 
quence and  statesmanship  never  before  exhibited  there.  But 
the  bill,  by  successive  amendments,  was  reduced  to  an  act  for 
the  formation  of  a  territorial  government  in  Utah. 

On  the  19th  of  May,  an  expedition,  fitted  out,  at  New 
Orleans,  with  the  design  of  revolutionizing  Cuba,  landed  at 
Cardenas,  on  that  island.  The  invading  force,  consisting  of 
about  600  men,  commanded  by  General  Lopez,  after  a  brief 
struggle  took  possession  of  the  place ;  but,  disappointed  in  their 
expectations  of  receiving  the  assistance  of  the  Cuban  people, 
they  re-embarked  the  same  evening,  and  sailed  to  Key  West. 
Their  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  was  about  forty :  that  of  the 
Cubans  was  much  greater.  Lopez's  vessel  was  seized  by  the 
United  States  authorities ;  and  he  himself,  together  with  several 
distinguished  persons,  was  arrested,  and  tried  for  violating  the 


What  caused  excitement?  i  What  is  said  of  the  Onmibua  Bill! 

What  was  discussed  in  Congress  T  |  Describe  Lopez's  ezpeditioxL 


488 


SECOND  INVASION  OF  CUBA. 


neutrality  laws  of  our  government.  For  want  of  ftvidence; 
however,  thoy  were  acquitted. 

On  the  9th  of  July,  the  whole  country  was  thrown  into 
mourning  by  intelligence  of  the  death  of  President  Taylor, 
after  an  illness  of  but  five  days'  duration.  His  dying  vfoid^ 
were  truly  characteristic :  "  I  have  endeavored  to  do  my  dv^y 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 

ADMINISTRATION  OP  MR.  FILLMORE. 

By  virtue  of  his  oflBce,  Vice-President  Fillmore  became  the 
successor  of  General  Taylor,  as  an  occupant  of  the  executive 
chair.  The  old  cabinet  having  resigned,  a  new  one  was  formed, 
with  Daniel  Webster,  of  Massachusetts,  at  its  head,  as  Secretary 
of  State.  The  compromise  measures  which  had  been  embodied 
m  the  Omnibus  Bill,"  were  now  brought  forward  separately^ 
and  happily  received  the  sanction  of  Congress  and  the  President. 

Meanwhile,  difficulties  had  arisen  between  the  United  States 
and  several  foreign  governments.  They  were,  however,  ami- 
cably arranged ;  but  not  until  the  public  mind  had  been  consi- 
derably agitated  by  apprehensions  of  a  warlike  termination  to 
them. 

During  the  spring  of  1851,  a  second  invasion  of  Cuba  was 
projected,  in  our  southern  ports.  Rumors  of  the  intended 
expedition  becoming  rife,  the  President  issued  a  proclamation, 
declaring  that  those  engaged  in  it  were  violating  the  neutrality 
laws,  and  would  thereby  place  themselves  beyoud  the  protection 
of  the  United  States  government. 

Nevertheless,  a  party  of  about  460  men,  und^r  the  command 
of  General  Lopez,  sailed  from  New  Orleans,  in  August,  on  board 
the  steamer  Pampero,  and  landed  on  the  coast  of  Cuta.  Leaving 
Colonel  Crittenden  in  charge  of  the  baggage,  Lopc«,  with  the 
main  body  of  his  troops,  marched  inland.  The  inhabitants  fled 
before  him,  neither  joining  his  standard  nor  furnishing  him 
with  provisions,  as  he  had  expected  they  would  do.  During  his 
absence.  Colonel  Crittenden  was  attacked  by  a  greatly  superior 
force ;  and,  after  a  sanguinary  and  desperate  resistance,  compelled 
to  fly  to  his  boats.    He  and  his  party — now  numbering  fifty-ong 


What  happened  on  the  9th  of  July, 
1850? 

Who  succeeded  President  Taylor  ? 
Wliat  is  said  of  the  Omnibus  Bill? 


Of  foreign  aflFairs  f 
Of  Cuba  ? 

Give  an  account  of  th9  iQTMd^ 
of  Cuba? 


HIJIOTION  OF  PRESIDENT  PTEROB. 


439 


persons — were,  however,  speedily  captured  by  a  Spanish  steamer, 
and  taken  to  Havana,  where  they  were  tried,  condemned,  and 
shot.  Meanwhile,  General  Lopez  had  been  attacked  by  the 
Spanish  troops.  Fighting  with  the  energy  of  despair,  the 
Americans  for  a  period  held  their  ground ;  but,  having  lost  over 
fifty  men,  they  fled  to  the  mountains.  Nearly  all  were  killed 
or  captured.  Lopez,  their  leader,  was  taken,  and  carried  to 
Havana,  where  he  was  executed  by  the  yarrott^  nn  instrument 
of  death  in  common  use  among  the  Spaniards. 

The  intelligence  of  these  proceedings  caused  an  intense  ex- 
citement throughout  the  country,  and  especially  in  the  Southern 
States.  At  New  Orleans,  a  mob  destro^^^d  the  office  of  a  Spanish 
newspaper,  and  even  sacked  the  house  th3  Spanish  consul. 
Large  meetings  were  also  held  in  our  chiet  cities,  denouncing 
the  Cuban  authorities;  and  active  preparations  were  made  for 
sending  fresh  reinforcements  to  the  invaders.  Subsequent 
accounts,  however,  and  the  interference  of  our  government, 
prevented  the  execution  of  this  design,  and  quitted  the  passion- 
ate feeling  that  had  originated  it.  Of  the  American  prisoners 
remaining  in  the  possession  of  the  Spanish  government^  ninety 
were  presently  released,  and,  on  the  13th  of  March,  1852, 
reached  New  York. 

On  the  29th  of  June,  1852,  Henry  Clay  died  at  Washing- 
ton.  His  departure  was  mourned  as  a  national  calamity.  His 
public  services  had  been  of  the  most  important  kind,  and  they 
were  duly  appreciated  by  the  nation.  No  statesman  has  ever 
exerted  so  great  an  influence,  and  for  so  long  a  period,  over  the 
intellectual  and  reflecting  portion  of  the  community,  as  Henry 
Clay. 

In  June,  the  Democratic  Convention  at  Baltimore,  nomi- 
nated Franklin  Pierce,  of  New  Hampshire,  for  the  Presidency, 
and  William  R.  King,  of  Alabama,  for  the  Vice-Presidency. 
The  Whig  candidates  were  General  Winfield  Scott  and  William 
A.  Graham;  and  the  Free  Soil  party  nominated  John  P.  Hale, 
of  New  Hampshire,  and  George  W.  Julian,  of  Indiana.  At 
the  ensuing  election,  held  in  November,  the  Democratic  candi- 
dates received  majorities  in  all  but  four  States.  Franklin 
Pierce  and  William  R.  King  were  consequently  elected.  But 
a  few  days  previous,  the  country  was  thrown  into  mourning  by 
intelligence  of  the  death  of  Daniel  Webster,  our  distinguished 
Secretary  of  State. 


What  transpired  at  New  Orleans  ?  |  W^at  w«a  tb«  resali  of  th«  tl*^ 
What  ooourred  in  Jane  ?  |       tion  ? 


440 


tHS  KOSZTA  AJVAIE. 


CHAPTER  XLVIIL 

pieroe's  administration. 

Thi  new  President  selected  William  L.  Marcy,  of  New  York, 
fts  the  chief  ofl&cer  of  his  cabinet.  Previously,  however,  th« 
Vice-President  elect,  Wm.  E.  King,  had  fallen  a  victim  to  con- 
sumption. His  death  was  much  mourned.  Mr.  Atchison,  of 
Missouri,  by  virtue  of  his  office  as  Speaker  of  the  Senate,  suc- 
ceeded him. 

In  the  fall  of  1853,  quite  an  excitement  was  caused  through- 
out the  country  by  the  publication  of  a  correspondence  which 
had  taken  place  between  Secretary  Marcy  and  the  Chevalier 
Hulsemann,  Minister  from  Austria.  It  seems  that  one  Martin 
Koszta,  a  Hungarian  refugee,  who  had  declared  his  intention  to 
become  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  having  visited  the  Turkish 
port  of  Smyrna,  was  there  arrested  by  the  Austrian  Consul- 
General,  and  confined  on  board  an  Austrian  vessel  of  war.  His 
release  was  immediately  demanded  by  the  American  Charg^, 
and  enforced  by  Captain  Ingraham,  of  the  United  States  cor- 
vette St.  Louis. 

M.  Hulsemann  complained  of  this,  and  called  for  the  repri- 
manding of  Captain  Ingraham,  and  for  the  fullest  satisfaction 
to  Austria.  Mr.  Marcy  replied,  stating  lucidly  the  rights  claimed 
by  the  United  States  for  her  citizens  abroad.  Koszta,  having 
left  the  country  solely  on  business,  was,  therefore,  none  the  less 
an  American  citizen.  Consequently,  the  United  States  could 
tender  no  satisfaction  to  Austria;  and  Captain  Ingraham's  con- 
duct, moreover,  instead  of  requiring  censure,  was  perfectly  justi- 
fiable. For  his  prompt  and  decided  action  in  this  aflfair,  Captain 
Ingraham  was  afterwards  presented  by  Congress  with  a  medal. 

While  the  Koszta  question  was  being  discussed,  our  Mexican 
relations  were  seriously  disturbed.  On  the  13th  of  March, 
1853,  General  Lane,  the  Governor  of  New  Mexico,  took  provi- 
sional possession  of  a  tract  of  country  known  as  the  Mesilla 
Valley.  This  had  been  claimed  by  both  Mexico  and  the  United 
States;  but  a  joint  boundary  commission  assigned  it  to  the 
former  country.  The  ground  for  Governor  Lane's  action  was, 
According  to  his  statement,  the  expressed  desire  of  the  peopLa 


Who  was  Secretary  of  State         I  What  was  done  by  M.  HulsemaimT 

Who  died !  Mr.  Marcy  ? 

Relate  ih«  ff irciift  (Mftrir  |  What  took  place  ^'^T 


tREATY  WITH  JAPAN. 


441 


of  the  Y  alley  to  come  under  the  protection  of  the  United  States 
Troops  were  sent  by  both  governments  into  the  disputed  terri 
tory,  and  affairs  began  to  assume  a  hostile  aspect.  But  happily 
the  diflBculty  was  adjusted  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  parties; 
Mexico  yielding  the  Mesilla  Valley,  and  granting  to  the  United 
States  the  right  to  build  a  railroad  across  the  isthmus  of  Tehuan- 
fcepec,  on  condition  of  receiving  from  our  government  the  sum 
of  810,000,000. 

In  the  spring  of  1854,  much  ill-feeling  was  excited  in  th 
United  States  against  the  Spanish  authorities  of  Cuba,  by  the 
seizure  at  Havana  of  the  steamer  Black  Warrior.  Certain  in- 
formalities with  regard  to  the  vessel's  manifest  were  urged  by 
the  port  oflScials,  who  declared  the  cargo  confiscated;  upon 
which  the  American  captain  hauled  down  his  flag,  surrendered 
the  steamer,  and  appealed  to  his  country  for  protection.  Reso- 
lutions were  immediately  introduced  into  Congress,  proposing  a 
repeal  of  the  neutrality  laws,  in  respect  to  Spain.  Instructions 
were,  at  the  same  time,  forwarded  to  our  minister  at  Madrid,  to 
demand  the  sum  of  $300,000,  as  indemnity  for  the  seizure  of 
the  Black  Warrior.  Many  of  our  citizens,  meanwhile,  were 
making  preparations  to  invade  Cuba.  A  stop  was  put  to  their 
designs,  however,  by  an  official  proclamation  from  the  President; 
and,  in  June,  1855,  intelligence  was  made  public  that  an  ami- 
cable arrangement  of  the  difficulty  had  been  effected. 

During  the  year  1854,  several  highly  important  treaties  were 
concluded  between  the  United  States  and  other  powers.  Com- 
modore Perry,  who,  in  1852,  had  been  despatched,  with  an 
American  fleet,  to  Japan,  to  attempt  the  establishment  of  a 
friendly  intercourse  with  the  government  of  that  country,  finally 
succeeded,  though  not  until  after  much  delay  and  difficulty,  in 
arranging  a  treaty  of  peace  and  amity  between  Japan  and  the 
United  States.  It  was  signed  March  31, 1854.  The  Japanese 
ports  of  Simoda  and  Hakodadi  were  opened  to  American  vessels, 
to  obtain  wood,  water,  provisions,  and  coal;  safety  and  protec- 
tion were  guaranteed  to  all  American  seamen  cast  by  shipwreck 
upon  the  Japanese  coast;  and  grounds  for  a  burial-place  for 
Americans  were  ordered  to  be  set  apart,  at  Kakizaki.  About 
the  same  time,  two  other  important  treaties  were  negotiated: 
one  providing  for  commercial  reciprocity  between  the  United 
States  and  the  British  North  American  provinces ;  and  a  second, 
with  Russia,  in  which  that  government  recognised,  as  a  doctrine 
of  international  law,  the  principle,  long  contended  for  by  this 
country,  that  free  ships  make  free  goods,  and  that  the  property 


W>Nitoeoiirred  in  the  spring  of  1864?  |  What  treaties  were  oondudedT 


442 


THE  CLAYTON  BULWER  TREATY. 


of  neutrals,  unless  contraband  of  war,  should  be  respected,  eveL 
if  found  on  board  enemies'  vessels. 

July  of  this  same  year  (1854)  was  marked  by  tb^  destruction 
of  San  Juan,  or  Greytown,  situated  upon  the  Mosquito  shore. 
The  first  difficulty  that  led  to  this  affiiir  was  a  claim  made 
against  the  authorities  of  the  town,  by  the  Accessory  Transit 
Company,  for  $24,000,  as  damages  for  certain  property  which 
they  alleged  to  have  been  stolen  from  them,  and  the  whereabouts 
of  which  they  charged  the  authorities  with  being  cognizant  of. 
Soon  afterwards,  a  negro  captain  of  a  river  boat  was  shot  by  a 
person  named  Smith,  an  American,  and  the  commander  of  a 
steamer  running  upon  the  river.  An  attempt  was  made  to 
arrest  the  oflFender;  but  the  officer  sent  to  do  so  was  resisted  by 
the  passengers,  headed  by  Mr.  Borland,  United  States  Minister 
to  Nicaragua,  who  stated  that  his  instructions  were,  not  to  recog- 
nise, in  any  way,  the  authorities  of  'Greytown. 

Subsequently  going  on  shore,  Mr.  Borland  was  ordered  to  be 
arrested.  In  the  meUe  that  resulted,  he  was  struck  in  the  face 
by  a  bottle.  To  demand  an  apology  for  this  alleged  insult  to 
our  minister,  and  indemnity  for  the  Transit  Company's  property, 
government,  in  June,  despatched  the  sloop-of-war  Cyane,  under 
Commander  Hollins.  No  compliance  being  made  to  his  demands, 
though  he  had  threatened  the  town  with  bombardment,  Com- 
mander Hollins,  against  the  protest  of  Lieutenant  J olley,  of  the 
British  ship  Bermuda,  on  the  13th  of  July  opened  his  batteries 
upon  the  town,  which  in  a  few  hours  was  completely  destroyed. 
Lieutenant  Jolley,  proclaiming  martial  law,  then  declared  the 
town  under  his  protection.  Though  this  act  of  our  government 
was  characterized  in  the  bitterest  terms  by  several  foreign  powers, 
and  was  strongly  complained  of,  the  apprehensions  of  war  to 
which  it  gave  rise  were  speedily  allayed. 

The  Clayton-Bulwer  treaty,  respecting  the  British  settlements 
in  Central  America,  had,  in  the  meantime,  been  the  subject  of 
quite  an  exciting  discussion.  In  January,  1854,  Mr.  Cass  stated, 
in  the  Senate,  that  he  had  voted  for  confirming  the  treaty  alluded 
to,  solely  on  the  supposition  that  it  excluded  the  British  from 
all  parts  of  Central  America.  Such,  he  found,  was  not  the 
case  :  a  declaration  having  been  assented  to  by  both  governments, 
to  the  efiect  that  the  treaty  did  not  apply  to  the  British  Protec- 
torate of  the  Mosquito  Indians.  Reply  was  made  by  Mr.  Clay- 
ton, substantially  asserting  that  the  declaration  referred  to  was 
not  at  all  intended  to  modify  the  treaty,  by  the  express  terms 
of  which  England  was  efi^ectually  excluded  from  Central  Ame 


delate  the  affair  of  Greytown.       |  What  is  said  of  the  Clayton-Biilw«» 


TROUBLES  IN  KANSAS. 


448 


rica.  An  animated  debate  ensued;  the  speeches  of  most  of 
those  engaged  in  it  assuming  a  decidedly  warlike  tone.  Through- 
out the  United  States  and  Great  Britain,  the  subject  became 
for  a  time  the  engrossing  topic.  The  English  government  pro- 
posed to  submit  the  proper  interpretation  of  the  treaty  to  some 
third  power ;  but  the  United  States  having  refused  to  do  so,  for 
a  while  the  matter  was  apparently  allowed  to  rest. 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 

THE  KANSAS  DIFFICULTY. 

In  January,  1854,  a  bill  was  introduced  into  the  Unitea 
States  Senate,  by  Mr.  Douglass,  of  Illinois,  for  the  formation  of 
the  territories  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  by  certain  provisions 
of  which  the  act  of  1820,  generally  called  the  Missouri  Com- 
promise, was  declared  null  and  void.  After  a  series  of  most 
violent  debates,  the  bill  received  the  sanction  of  Congress,  and 
the  signature  of  President  Pierce,  in  May. 

The  passage  of  this  act  was  the  signal  for  the  warmest  sec- 
tional agitation.  In  the  North,  a  new  political  organization, 
having  for  its  objects  the  restoration  of  the  Missouri  Compromise 
and  the  non-extension  of  slavery  into  the  territories,  sprang 
rapidly  into  power,  under  the  name  of  the  Republican  Party. 

The  election  in  Kansas,  in  March,  1855,  for  members  of  the 
territorial  legislature,  resulted  in  the  triumph  of  those  favorable 
to  the  introduction  there  of  slavery ;  but  the  Free  State''  men 
insisted  that  their  defeat  was  due  to  the  interference  of  illegal 
voters  from  Missouri,  the  western  borders  of  which  are  con- 
tiguous to  Kansas.  The  Governor  of  Kansas,  Mr.  Reeder,  pre- 
sently visiting  the  Eastern  States,  gave  confirmation  to  this 
statement;  and,  as  he  had  received  his  appointment  from  an 
administration  that  sanctioned  the  Kansas-Nebraska  act,  his 
confirmation  was  much  relied  upon  in  the  North  and  East, 
where  it  caused  the  intensest  excitement. 

In  Kansas,  ihh  sectional  asperity  finally  resulted  in  blood- 
shed.   At  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Leavenworth,  during  an 


iVhat  is  said  of  the  Kansas  difia- 

culty  I 
What  bill  was  rejected? 
What  one  finally  signed  ? 
What  followed  its  passage  ? 


What  new  party  sprang  np  ? 
What  party  triumphed  ? 
What  did  the  "  Free  State"  men  do  f 
What  did  Gov.  Reeder  do  ? 
What  was  the  result  in  Kansas  T 


444 


TROUBLES  IN  KANSAS. 


angry  discussion,  Malcolm  Clark,  a  "Free  State"  mao,  was 
killed  by  a  lawyer  of  the  opposite  party,  named  M^Crea.  But 
for  the  interference  of  the  military  commandant  at  Fort  Leaven- 
worth, the  latter  would  have  been  lynched. 

The  first  act  of  the  Kansas  Legislature,  which  met  in  July^ 
at  Pawnee,  was  to  d-eclare  its  own  legality.  A  bill  to  removf 
the  seat  of  government  temporarily  to  Shawnee  Mission,  wa# 
next  enacted,  over  Governor  Reeder's  veto.  Adjourning  to  the 
place  designated,  the  Legislature  passed  several  acts;  one  of 
which  rendered  infiimous  any  person  found  guilty  of  advocating 
abolition  doctrines.  These  bills  Governor  Reeder  would  not  sign, 
giving  as  his  reason  the  illegality  of  the  Legislature  which  had 
passed  them.  That  body  thereupon  requested  the  President  to 
remove  him. 

Meanwhile,  charges  had  been  preferred  against  Mr.  Reeder 
of  having  made  an  illegal  purchase  of  lands  on  the  Kansas  In- 
dian reservation.  Declaring  the  untruth  of  this  statement,  the 
Governor  said  that  he  had  agreed  to  buy  the  lands,  provided 
the  President  approved  the  bargain.  He  was,  thereupon,  in- 
formed that  his  conduct  was  unsatisfactory  to  the  Government, 
and  removed  from  office.  Wilson  Shannon,  of  Ohio,  was  selected 
to  succeed  him. 

Previously,  however,  the  Territorial  Legislature  had  passed  a 
number  of  very  stringent  laws.  Among  these  was  one  making 
it  death  to  entice  or  assist  slaves  to  escape  from  their  masters ; 
and  depriving  all  persons  opposed  to  the  holding  of  slaves,  in 
Kansas,  of  the  right  to  act  on  juries.  An  intense  spirit  of 
animosity  between  the  two  parties  in  the  territory  now  began  to 
exhibit  itself.  A  convention  of  Free  State  men,  which  met  at 
Big  Springs,  on  the  5th  of  September,  after  declaring  their 
determination  that  slavery  should  not  be  admitted  into  Kansas, 
called  upon  the  people  to  prepare  for  armed  resistance  to  the 
recently  enacted  laws,  and  fixed  upon  the  following  9th  of 
October  as  the  day  for  electing  a  delegate  to  Congress.  Mean- 
while, the  Territorial  Legislature  had  appointed  the  1st  of  the 
same  month  for  a  like  purpose.    At  that  time,  Mr.  Whitfield, 


Who  was  killed  T 
By  whom  ? 

What  was  the  first  act  of  the  Kansas 
Legislature  ? 

fVhere  did  the  Legislature  meet  ? 

What  acts  were  passed  ? 

What  was  requested  of  the  Presi- 
dent? 

What  charges  were  brought  against 
Mr.Eeed«r? 


What  did  he  say  T 
What  resulted  ? 

What  laws  were  passed  by  the  Tea^ 

ritorial  Legislature  ? 
What  did  the  convention  of  "  Fre€ 

State"  men  do  ? 
What  had  the  TerritoriaJ  Legisli^ 

ture  done  ? 
Who  was  elected? 


TROUBLES  IN  KANSAS. 


441 


ihe  Pro- Slavery  candidate,  was  elected.  The  Free  State  men 
voted,  on  the  day  they  had  appointed,  for  Mr.  Reeder,  and 
claimed  to  have  a  majority;  but  left  the  decision  of  the  ques 
tion  to  the  National  House  of  Representatives.  In  the  mean- 
time, both  from  the  North  and  South,  numbers  of  emigrants, 
armed,  and  furnished  with  money,  had  been  sent  to  Kansas. 

About  the  same  time,  a  secret  political  organization,  named 
the  Know-Nothings,"  the  efforts  of  which  were  directed  against 
the  election  to  office  of  citizens  not  native-born,  sprang  into 
quick  existence,  and  obtained  the  balance  of  power  in  the  Na- 
tional House  of  Representatives.  With  the  Free  Soil,  or  Re- 
publican, members,  with  whom  some  of  them  were  in  a  certain 
degree  affiliated,  they  presented  a  working  majority  against  the 
administration. 

The  House  of  Representatives,  after  a  contest  of  more  than 
two  months,  finally  elected,  as  its  presiding  officer,  Mr.  N.  P. 
Banks,  a  Republican  Know-Nothing.  In  the  House  thus  or- 
ganized, Mr.  Whitfield  took  his  seat,  under  protest  from  Mr. 
Reeder.  A  long  discussion  ensued,  as  to  the  right  of  the  re- 
spective claimants  to  a  place  in  the  National  Legislature,  as  a 
delegate  from  Kansas.  At  length,  however,  it  was  decided  that 
neither  was  entitled  to  a  seat. 

Meanwhile,  affairs  in  Kansas  had  begun  to  present  an  alarm- 
ing appearance.  On  the  27th  of  October,  1855,  the  Free 
State  men  met  in  convention,  at  Topeka,  <ind  drew  up  a  State 
Constitution,  in  which  the  existence  of  slavery  in  the  territory 
was  positively  prohibited.  The  election  for  State  officers  was 
likewise  ordered  to  be  held  in  the  following  January.  The 
^^Pro-Slavery"  party,  in  November,  also  held  a  convention,  at 
Leavenworth,  Governor  Shannon  presiding.  Declaring  Reeder's 
election  to  Congress  to  be  a  revolutionary  movement,  and  that 
the  Topeka  Convention  had  taken  the  primary  step  towards  civil 
war,  Grovernor  Shannon  urged  those  before  him  to  adhere  to 
their  original  policy,  assuring  them  that  they  would  be  sustained 
by  Government 

Near  Hickory  Point,  in  January,  1856,  a  Free  State  man, 


Who  had  the  "Free  State"  men 

chosen  ? 
Who  had  been  sent  to  Kansas  T 
What  secret  political  body  was 

organized  ? 
What  object  had  they  ? 
Where  had  tliey  the  balance  of 

power  ? 
Who  were  they  against  ? 
Who  was  elected  T 

88 


What  did  Mr.  Whitfield  do  T 
What  was  the  result  ? 
What  did  the    Free  State"  men  do 
What  did  the  "  Pro-Slavery"  party 

do? 

What  did  they  declare  ? 
What  did  Gov.  Shannon  urge? 
Who  was   killed  near  Hickory 
Pomt? 


TROUBLES  TN  KANSAi. 


named  Dow,  was  killed  by  one  Coleman,  of  the  opposite  party 
The  latter  fled  to  Missouri.  Some  persons  returning,  late  al 
night,  from  a  meeting,  at  which  Coleman  was  denounced  as  a 
murderer,  encountered  the  sheriff  of  Douglas  county  and  hii 
posse,  having  in  custody  a  Free  State  man,  named  Branson, 
whom  they  rescued.  Exaggerated  reports  of  this  affair  reach- 
ing  the  people  of  Missouri,  they  crossed  the  borders  in  larg6 
numbers,  and  encamped  for  several  days  in  the  vicinity  of 
Lawrence,  which  town  they  threatened  to  destroy,  if  the  rescuers 
©f  Branson  were  not  given  up.  They  did  not,  however,  put 
their  threat  into  execution;  and  an  agreement  was  made,  be- 
tween Governor  Shannon  and  the  citizens  of  Lawrence,  by 
which  the  excited  passions  of  the  Missourians  were  calmed,  and 
they  returned  home. 

Kansas,  nevertheless,  continued  to  be  the  scene  of  many  acts 
of  violence.  In  February,  1856,  President  Pierce  issued  a 
proclamation,  stating  that  combinations  had  been  formed  in  the 
territory  to  subvert  all  legal  authority ;  and  that  persons  living 
without  the  territory,  but  on  its  borders,  as  well  as  the  people 
of  remote  States,  contemplated  armed  intervention  in  its  affairs. 
He,  therefore,  commanded  all  engaged  in  such  insurrectionary 
and  invasory  plans  to  desist  from  them ;  and  directed  that  the 
Grovernment  troops  at  Forts  Leavenworth  and  Riley  should  be 
held  in  readiness  to  obey  the  requisition  of  Governor  Shannon, 
in  maintaining  the  peace  of  the  territory.  Meanwhile,  the  Free 
State  men  had  chosen  a  Governor,  Lieutenant-Governor,  and 
State  Legislature.  Meeting  presently  at  Lawrence,  the  Legis- 
lature elected  Governor  Reeder  and  General  Lane  United  States 
Senators. 

In  April,  Mr.  Jones,  sheriff  of  the  territory,  while  attempt- 
ing to  arrest  two  inhabitants  of  Lawrence,  was  wounded  by  a 
shot  from  some  unknown  person.  Much  excitement  ensued 
throughout  Kansas  and  the  adjacent  portions  of  Missouri. 
Being  called  upon  by  Colonel  Sumner,  commander  of  a  detach- 
ment of  United  States  troops  posted  in  the  neighborhood,  to 
detect  and  apprehend  the  person  who  had  shot  Sheriff  Jones, 


By  whom  ? 

Where  did  the  latter  go  ? 

What  was  done  at  a  meeting,  and 

what  resulted  ? 
What  did  the  people  of  Missouri  do  ? 
What  agreement  was  made  ? 
What  was  the  state  of  Kansas  ? 
What  combinations  had  been  formed 

in  the  territory  and  tn  its  bor- 

d«nt 


What  directions  were  given  to  the 
troops  at  Fort  Leavenworth  ? 

What  had  the  *<Free  State"  men 
done  ? 

Who  did  they  elect  U.  S.  seJnators  t 
Who  was  wounded? 
For  what  ? 

What  did  the  ^aihabitants  of  Law- 
rence say  ? 


ASSAULT  ON  MR.  SUMNER. 


447 


the  authorities  of  Lawrence  disavowed  all  knowledge  of  the 
offender,  on  the  part  of  their  fellow-citizens. 

Meantime,  indictments  for  treason  had  been  found  against 
the  recently  elected  Free  State  Governor,  Mr.  Robinson,  as  well 
as  against  Mr.  Reeder  and  others.  Robinson  and  Reeder  both 
fled.  The  latter  escaped,  but  the  former  was  arrested.  Writs 
against  other  persons  having  been  resisted,  the  United  States 
Marshal  summoned  the  ^^law-abiding''  citizens  to  his  aid.  A 
large  force,  thereupon,  assembled  near  Lawrence,  the  inhabitants 
of  which  demanded  the  protection  of  the  United  States  troops. 
In  reply  to  this  demand,  Governor  Shannon  answered  that,  so 
long  as  they  maintained  a  military  organization  to  resist  the 
territorial  laws,  they  would  have  to  suffer  the  consequences. 

The  forces  about  Lawrence  having  been  largely  augmented, 
Sheriff  Jones,  who  had  recovered  from  his  wound,  entered  that 
town  at  the  head  of  a  considerable  party;  and,  after  taking 
possession  of  all  the  arms  in  the  place,  ordered  the  hotel  and 
printing-office  to  be  destroyed,  they  having  been  declared  nui- 
sances by  the  grand  jury.  At  the  same  time,  the  house  of 
Governor  Robinson  was  burned.  Numerous  robberies  and  mur- 
ders were  subsequently  committed  throughout  the  territory. 
These  acts  of  violence,  however,  it  would  scarcely  be  just  to 
refer  to  either  the  Free  State  or  the  Pro-Slavery  party. 

A  bill  was  now  introduced  into  Congress,  admitting  Kansas 
into  the  Union,  with  the  Topeka  Constitution.  Though  passed 
by  the  House  of  Representatives,  it  was  lost  in  the  Senate. 
Its  discussion  engendered  much  bitter  feeling.  In  a  lengthy 
speech  on  the  subject,  Senator  Sumner,  of  Massachusetts,  com- 
mented somewhat  severely  upon  the  course  of  Mr.  Butler,  Sena- 
tor from  South  Carolina.  Two  days  subsequently,  immediately 
after  the  adjournment  of  the  Senate,  he  was  assailed,  while 
seated  at  his  desk,  by  Mr.  Butler's  nephew,  Mr.  Preston  S. 
Brooks,  a  member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  from  South 
Carolina,  and  so  severely  beaten  with  a  cane,  that  for  a  season 
his  life  was  despaired  of.    Committees  to  investigate  the  affaii 


What  indictments  had  been  foimd? 

— against  whom  ? 
What  did  they  do  ? 
Who  escaped? 

What  did  the  U.  S.  Marshal  do  ? 
What  did  the  inhabitants  of  Law- 
rence demand  ? 
What  did  Gov.  Shannon  reply  ? 
What  did  Sheriff  Jones  do? 
What  buildings  were  destroyed  ? 
What  was  the  state  of  the  territorj  ? 


Could  they  be  charged  on  eitiier 
party  ? 

What  bill  was  introduced  into  Con 

gress  ? 
Did  it  pass  ? 

What  was  the  result  of  the  disoua- 

sion? 

Who  made  a  long  speech  on  tht 
subject  ? 

What  was  the  consequence  of  thai 
speech  to  Mr.  Sumner  ? 


448 


DIFFICULTY  WITH  ENGLAND. 


were  appointed  by  both  Houses.  The  Senate  committee  reporied 
that  that  body  had  no  power  to  act  in  the  matter.  The  Ilouge 
committee,  on  the  other  hand,  submitted  resolutions  expelling 
Mr.  Brooks.  Though  they  failed  to  receive  the  requisite  major- 
ity of  two-thirds,  Mr.  Brooks  tendered  his  resignation,  but  was 
immediately  re-elected. 

^Meanwhile,  the  condition  of  affairs  in  Kansas  had  become 
more  and  more  alarming.  Fortresses  were  erected  by  both  par- 
ties;  and  armed  bodies  of  men  traversed  the  territory  in  every 
direction,  committing  numerous  outrages  of  the  most  appalling 
character.  On  the  11th  of  September,  1856,  Mr.  John  W. 
Geary,  of  Pennsylvania,  who  had  been  appointed  Governor  in 
the  place  of  Mr.  Shannon,  arrived  in  Kansas.  He  immediately 
issued  a  proclamation,  commanding  all  unauthorized  armed  bands, 
of  whatever  party,  to  instantly  disperse.  An  election  for  mem- 
bers of  the  Territorial  Legislature,  and  for  a  delegate  to  Con- 
gress, was  then  ordered.  At  that  election,  in  October,  Mr. 
Whitfield,  the  Pro-Slavery  delegate,  was  chosen.  The  Free 
State  men  refused  to  vote  at  all.  In  the  meantime,  vigorous 
action  on  the  part  of  Governor  Geary  had  well-nigh  terminated 
the  disorders  that  had  so  sadly  distracted  the  territory. 


CHAPTER  L. 

PIERCE'S  ADMINISTRATION,  CONCLUDED. 

During  the  prevalence  of  the  unhappy  disturbances  in  Kan- 
sas, quite  a  serious  difficulty  had  arisen  between  the  United 
States  and  Great  Britain.  On  the  trial  of  two  persons  named 
Hertz  and  Perkins,  at  Philadelphia,  in  the  autumn  of  1855, 
for  an  alleged  violation  of  our  neutrality  laws,  by  endeavoring 
to  enlist  recruits  in  this  country  for  the  allied  armies  before 
Sebastopol,  it  was  clearly  proved  that  such  attempts  had  been 
made,  under  the  immediate  direction  and  authority  of  Mr. 


What  committees  were  appomted 

to  investigate  the  matter  ? 
What  reports  did  they  make  ? 
What  resulted  ? 

What  was  the  condition  of  Kansas  ? 
Who  had  been  appointed  governor 

in  place  of  Mr.  Shannon  ? 
What  did  he  do  immediately  on  his 

•rrivftl? 


What  resulted  at  the  election  in 
October  ? 

What  did  the    Free  State"  men  do  ? 

What  were  the  results  of  Go?. 
Geary's  action? 

What  difficulties  had  arisen  be- 
tween Great  Britain  and  th« 
U.  S.? 

What  had  Mr.  Crampton  done  T 


INDIAN  HOSTILITIES. 


Crampton,  the  British  Minister.  That  gentleman's  recall  wag 
at  once  demanded  by  the  United  States.  Declaring  that  they 
were  perfectly  satisiSed  with  Mr.  Crampton's  conduct,  the  British 
authorities  refused  compliance  with  this  demand.  Quite  a  racy 
correspondence  ensued  between  the  two  governments,  but  it 
was  finally  terminated  by  the  British  Minister's  dismissal.  The 
indignation  this  excited  in  England  assumed  a  very  belligerent 
aspect.  An  amicable  adjustment  of  the  diflSculty  was,  however, 
subsequently  arranged. 

In  May,  1855,  Lieutenant  Hartstene  was  dispatched  to  the 
north  by  the  Navy  Department,  with  the  bark  Release  and 
steamer  Arctic  in  search  of  Dr.  E.  K.  Kane,  who  had  sailed 
in  October,  1851,  with  an  expedition  fitted  out  by  Mr.  Grin- 
nell,  a  New  York  merchant,  to  endeavor  to  discover,  and  if 
still  alive  rescue.  Sir  John  Franklin  and  his  companions,  who 
had  attempted  to  find  a  northwest  passage  from  the  Atlantic 
to  the  Pacific.  Kane  spent  two  winters  in  the  ice  in  his 
fruitless  search,  and  finding  it  impossible  to  spend  a  third 
winter,  abandoned  the  Advance,  and  set  out  for  home  in 
sledges  and  open  boats.  He  reached  Upernavik  in  August, 
not  long  after  Hartstene's  arrival  at  that  port,  and  returned 
broken  in  health,  after  adding  greatly  to  our  knowledge  of 
the  Arctic  regions  and  nobly  associating  his  name  wiih 
the  famous  leaders  in  northern  exploration. 

Meanwhile,  Indian  hostilities  and  civil  disturbances  had  agi- 
tated our  possessions  on  the  Pacific.  During  the  summer  of 
1855,  it  became  apparent  that  a  general  combination  had  been 
formed  by  the  savages  in  California,  and  in  Washington  and 
Oregon  territories,  against  the  white  inhabitants.  Entire  fami- 
lies fell  victims  to  their  fury;  and  consternation  filled  the  more 
exposed  settlements.  Though  defeated  with-great  loss  in  seve- 
ral serious  encounters  with  the  troops  sent  out  against  them, 
the  spirits  of  the  Indians  seemed  in  no  wise  broken.  Seven 
hundred  in  number,  they  attacked  the  town  of  Seattle,  in  Wash- 
ington; but  the  inhabitants,  aided  by  a  detachment  of  men 
from  the  United  States  sloop-of-war  Decatur,  finally  succeeded 
in  driving  them  oflf.  Of  the  whites,  two  were  slain.  The  In- 
dians lost  thirty-five  warriors  killed  outright.    In  Oregon,  ho»- 


What  was  demanded  by  the  U.  S.  ? 
What  did  the  British  authorities 

declare  ? 
Was  he  dismissed  ? 
What  resulted  in  England  ? 
Was  the  difficulty  adjusted  ? 
What  was  the  state  of  affairs  on 

$h6  Pftcifio  border!  r 


What    combination    had  been 

formed  ? 
What  resulted  ? 

What  town  did  the  Indians  attack  1 
How  did  they  drive  them  off? 
How  many  were  slain? 
What  was  the  state  of  Oregon' 


450 


DIPPIOULTIES  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


tilities  became  still  more  general ;  and,  during  the  spring  and 
summer  of  1856,  wbole  districts  were  almost  desolated  by  the 
savages.  In  December  of  that  year,  however,  the  Secretary  of 
War  was  enabled  to  report  that  peace  once  more  smiled  upon 
our  western  borders. 

The  civil  disturbances  hitherto  spoken  of  were  excited  by  tba 
murder,  in  San  Francisco,  California,  of  Mr.  James  King,  at  the 
hands  of  James  P.  Casey.  They  were  editors  of  rival  papers. 
Casey,  prior  to  his  coming  to  California,  as  was  asserted  by  King 
in  his  paper,  had  been  an  inmate  of  the  Sing-Sing  (New  York) 
penitentiary.  Soon  afterwards,  meeting  King  in  the  street, 
Casey  shot  him.,  inflicting  a  mortal  wound.  The  excitement 
that  ensued  was  intense.  Within  a  very  short  time,  several 
thousands  of  the  most  influential  citizens  of  San  Francisco  armed 
themselves,  and  organized  what  they  termed  a  "Vigilance 
Committee."  Casey,  and  a  notorious  gambler  named  Cora, 
were  dragged  from  prison,  and  by  the  Committee  tried,  con 
deraned,  and  executed.  Not  content -with  having  thus  infringed 
the  laws,  they  next  proceeded  to  clear  the  city  of  the  real  or 
alleged  evil  characters  who  infested  it,  imprisoning  some  and 
driving  others  away. 

The  Governor  now  issued  a  proclamation,  summoning  the 
militia  to  suppress  the  insurrection.  But  this  summons  met  with 
little  attention.  The  strength  of  the  Committee,  however,  con- 
tinued to  increase.  They  even  intercepted  a  vessel  carrying 
arms  for  the  State,  and  took  possession  of  her  cargo.  An 
attempt  was  also  made  to  arrest  one  of  the  persons  in  charge 
of  the  arms ;  but  resistance  was  ofiered,  and  Stephen  A.  Hop' 
kins,  the  officer  appointed  to  serve  the  warrant,  was  stabbed  by 
Judge  Terry.  Mr.  Terry,  along  with  many  others,  was  then 
arrested ;  and  it  was  expected  that  he  would  be  hung.  While 
his  fate  was  pending,  two  more  persons  were  executed. 

These  scenes  of  anarchy  were,  however,  terminated,  in  August, 
by  the  voluntary  disbandment  of  the  "Vigilance  Committee.'^ 
Though  set  free,  Judge  Terry  was  compelled  to  resign  his  judi- 
cial seat.  This  was  quite  an  unexpected,  but  happy  conclusion 
to  an  aff'air  that  had  created  just  grounds  for  general  apprehension. 


Who  was  murdered  in  San  Fran- 
cisco ? 
By  whom  ? 
For  what  ? 

What  followed  the  excitement  ? 
What  were  they  termed  ? 
What  was  done  to  Casey  and  Cora  ? 
What  else  did  the  **  Vigilance  Com- 
viittee"  d«  T 


What  did  the  governor  do  ? 
Did  the  strength  of  the  **  Commit- 
tee" decline? 
What  did  they  do? 
What  attempt  was  made  ? 
What  resulted  ? 

When  were  the  scenes  terminate<i  ' 
What  finally  ended  the  scenes? 


ELECTION  OP  PRESIDENT  BUCHANAN.  451 


The  Presidential  canvass  of  1856  was  a  spirited  and  exciting 
one.  Three  prominent  tickets  were  brought  forward.  That 
of  the  Democratic  party  bore  the  names  of  James  Buchanan, 
of  Pennsylvania,  for  President,  and  of  John  C.  Breckenridge, 
of  Kentucky,  for  Vice-President.  The  Republicans,  or  those 
opposed  to  the  principles  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  act,  had  for 
their  leaders  John  C.  Fremont,  of  California,  and  Wm.  L. 
Dayton,  of  New  Jersey.  The  Know-Nothing,  or  Native  Ame- 
rican organization,  advocated  the  election  of  Millard  Fillmore, 
of  New  York,  and  Andrew  Jackson  Donelson,  of  Tennessee. 
Of  these  tickets,  that  voted  for  by  the  Democratic  party  proved 
successful.  Buchanan  and  Breckenridge  received  174  electoral 
votes;  Fremont  and  Dayton  114;  and  Fillmore  and  Donelson  8. 
James  Buchanan  and  John  C.  Breckenridge  were  consequently 
elected  President  and  Vice-President  of  the  United  States. 


CHAPTER  LI. 

ADMINISTRATION  OP  MB.  BUCHANAN. 

Mr.  Buchanan  was  inaugurated  President  on  the  4th  of 
March,  1857.  Lewis  Cass,  of  Michigan,  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  Secretary  of  State.  An  executive  session  of  the  Se- 
nate, continuing  until  the  14th  of  March,  had  under  conside- 
ration a  treaty,  then  recently  negotiated  by  our  minister,  Mr. 
Dallas,  and  Lord  Clarendon,  for  a  settlement  of  the  Central 
American  question.  Quite  a  spirited  debate  ensued;  and,  after 
being  somewhat  modified,  the  treaty  was  sent  back  to  the  English 
Government,  to  receive  its  final  sanction.  That  sanction,  how- 
ever, was  not  given ;  whereupon  our  Government  expressed  its 
decided  unwillingness  to  negotiate  any  further  upon  the  subject. 

Shortly  after  Mr.  Buchanan's  inauguration.  Governor  Geary, 
of  Kansas,  resigned  his  post.  His  farewell  address  gave  a 
pleasing  picture  of  the  condition  of  the  territory.  Indications 
of  peace  and  prosperity  were,  he  said,  to  be  seen  on  every  side. 
The  vacancy  occasioned  by  his  resignation  was  presently  filled 


Who  were  the  candidates  for  the 

Presidency  ? 
Who  were  elected  ? 
When  was  Mr.  Buchanan  elected  ? 
Who  was  Secretary  of  State  ? 
What  had  the  Senate  under  con- 

nderatioa  T 


Was  the  treaty  sanctioned  by  Eng- 
land? 

What  did  our  Government  do  ? 

What  did  Gov.  Geary  do? 

What  was  stated  in  his  fareweB 

address  ? 
Who  filled  his  plaot? 


452 


walker's  expeditions. 


by  the  appointment  of  the  Hon.  Eobert  J.  Walker,  of  Missia 
gippi. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1857,  a  national  calamity  was  sufifered 
in  the  death  of  Dr.  Elisha  Kent  Kane,  the  famous  leader  in 
the  Arctic  Expedition  in  search  of  Sir  John  Franklin.  He 
died,  on  the  16th  of  February,  at  Havana,  from  a  pulmonary 
complaint  caused  by  the  exposure  he  had  undergone  during  his 
recent  voyage.  The  entire  civilized  world  seemed  to  deplore 
bis  loss.  His  remains,  after  receiving  the  highest  honors  from 
the  authorities  of  Cuba,  were  brought  to  Philadelphia  for 
interment.  Few  men  have  attained  to  such  distinction  at  so 
early  an  age ;  he  being  but  thirty-five  years  old  at  the  time  of 
his  death. 

In  May,  intelligence  was  received  in  the  United  States  which, 
as  it  concerned  the  fate  of  many  of  our  countrymen,  excited  no 
little  interest.  In  October,  1853,  one  Captain  Walker,  a  native 
of  Tennessee,  at  the  head  of  a  party  of  adventurers  from  San 
Francisco,  landed  on  the  coast  of  Lower  California,  and,  after  a 
few  partial  successes  over  the  Mexican  authorities,  proclaimed 
a  new  republic,  of  which  his  followers  elected  him  President. 
His  triumph,  however,  was  short-lived.  Though  aided  by  re- 
inforcements from  San  Francisco,  he  was  finally  compelled  to 
seek  safety  in  the  United  States. 

Possessed  of  much  energy.  Walker  soon  afterwards  planned 
a  new  scheme  of  conquest.  Declaring  that  his  aid  had  been 
asked  in  behalf  of  one  of  the  aspirants  to  the  Presidency  of 
Nicaragua,  he  set  sail  from  San  Francisco,  at  the  head  of  about 
300  men,  and  took  possession  of  the  town  of  Rivas.  The  party 
whose  fortunes  he  had  espoused  was  for  a  time  successful,  and 
he  himself  was  elected  President  of  the  Republic.  His 
administration  of  affairs,  however,  met  with  strong  opposition, 
not  only  from  within,  but  also  from  the  neighboring  States  of 
Central  America.  Receiving  the  assistance  of  numerous  so- 
called  settlers  from  the  United  States,  he  maintained  his  ground 
with  a  courageous  spirit  that,  if  it  had  been  exhibited  in  a  better 
cause,  would  have  gained  him  an  enviable  fame.  But  fortune 
at  length  turned  against  him ;  and,  in  the  spring  of  1857,  h« 


What  national  calamity  ensued  in 

March  ? 
Where  did  he  die  T 
What  caused  his  death  ? 
What  honors  were  paid  to  his 

remains  ? 
What  was  his  age  ? 
What  happened  in  October? 
Did  his  triumph  last  t 


Where  did  he  seek  safety  ? 
What  did  he  afterwards  plmn  T 
Was  the  party  successful  T 
Was  he  opposed  in  hiB  administn 
tion? 

What  assistance  did  he  receive  ? 
Did  he  maintain  his  ground  ? 
What  was  his  final  fate? 


LUfCOLN  ELECTED  PRESIDENT. 


453 


was  driven  from  the  country.  His  schemes  were  not,  how- 
ever, abandoned.  In  August,  1860,  he  landed  on  the  coast 
of  Honduras,  captured  the  fort  at  Trujillo,  and  plundered 
the  custom-house.  The  British  ship  Icarus,  however,  aided 
the  Honduras  troops ;  Walker  was  pursued  along  the« coast, 
captured,  and  shot. 

The  Presidential  election  of  1860  was  a  momentous  one. 
The  Republican  party,  which  had  grown  in  strength,  nomi- 
nated Abraham  Lincoln.  The  Democrats  were  divided,  and 
their  convention  broke  up.  The  Southern  portion  nominated 
John  C.  Breckenridge,  the  Northern  portion  Stephen  A, 
Douglas,  while  a  Constitutional  Union  party  nominated  John 
Bell. 

At  the  election  in  November  Abraham  Lincoln  received 
one  hundred  and  eighty  votes,  and  was  chosen  President. 

The  Southern  States  had  resolved  not  to  submit  to  a  Re- 
publican administration,  which  they  regarded  as  directly 
hostile  to  their  section.  South  Carolina,  on  the  20th  of 
December,  passed  an  ordinance  of  secession,  withdrawing 
from  the  Federal  Union,  and  declaring  herself  independent. 
Mississippi,  Florida,  Alabama,  Georgia,  Louisiana,  and  Texas 
soon  after  followed  her  example. 

A  convention  of  the  secedinof  States  met  at  Montgomery, 
Alabama,  and  on  the  8th  of  February,  1861,  it  adopted  a 
Constitution  for  the  Confederate  States  of  America,  and 
elected  Jefferson  Davis  President. 

The  Congress  of  the  United  States  had  met  in  December, 
but  no  steps  were  taken  to  secure  a  peaceful  solution  of  the 
difficulties  that  threatened  the  Republic.  The  power  of  the 
United  States  Government  in  the  Southern  States  had  been 
overthrown  ;  many  of  the  forts,  the  arsenals,  custom-houses, 
navy-yards  had  been  seized.  At  Charleston,  Major  Ander- 
son, seeing  it  impossible  to  hold  all  the  forts,  withdrew  to 
Fort  Sumter  in  the  harbor.  South  Carolina  demanded  his 
removal,  and  a  steamer  sent  to  him  with  supplies  was  fired 
upon. 

Such  was  the  dangerous  position  of  affairs  when  the  ad- 
ministration of  Mr.  Buchanan  came  to  a  close. 


What  was  Walker's  fate  ?  |  What  did  the  Southern  States  do  f  ^ 

State  the  result  of  the  Presidential  What  OQQmred  at  Charlefrton  f  . 
•lection  of  186Q,  J  - 


484 


BOMBAKDMBNT  OF  FOUT  SUMTER. 


CHAPTER  LII. 

ilDMIIsriSTRATIOlT  OF  ABRAHAM  LUsTCOLK. 

Abraham  Lincoln  was  inaugurated  on  the  4tli  of  March, 
1861,  precautions  having  been  taken  against  any  interference. 
His  inaugural  address  was  conciliatory,  and  his  cabinet,  the 
leading  spirit  being  William  H.  Seward,  was  moderate  in  its 
tone.  An  attempt  to  reinforce  and  relieve  Fort  Sumter 
brought  on  hostilities.  The  confederacy,  under  General  Beau- 
regard, on  the  12th  of  April  began  the  bombardment  of  the 
fort.  On  the  14th,  Major  Anderson,  finding  it  untenable, 
and  being  out  of  provisions,  agreed  to  evacuate  it. 

The  effect  of  this  event  throughout  the  North  was  immense. 
The  next  day  President  Lincoln  called  for  seventy-five  thou- 
sand militia  to  serve  three  months  in  suppressing  those  in 
arms  against  the  United  States.  The  Northern  States  re- 
sponded promptly,  but  the  Border  States  yielded  to  their 
Southern  feeling.  Virginia,  Arkansas,  North  Carolina,  and 
Tennessee  seceded,  and  joined  the  Southern  confederacy. 
The  armory  at  Harper's  Ferry,  and  the  Gosport  navy-yard 
were  fired  by  the  officers  in  command  to  save  them  from  fall- 
ing into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

Though  militia  from  the  Northern  States  was  hastening  to 
protect  Washington,  their  route  was  not  free  from  danger. 
Maryland  was  full  of  sympathizers  with  the  South,  bridges 
were  destroyed,  and  regiments  attacked  by  mobs  in  Balti- 
more. General  Butler,  however,  was  appointed  to  command 
in  the  State ;  he  opened  a  way,  took  possession  of  railroads, 
and  occupied  Baltimore. 

On  the  3d  of  May  President  Lincoln,  convinced  of  the 
greatness  of  the  coming  struggle,  called  for  sixty-four  thou- 
sand volunteers  to  serve  during  the  war,  and  eighteen  thousand 
men  for  the  navy.  By  the  1st  of  July  there  were  nearly  two 
hundred  thousand  men  in  the  field,  organized  by  the  veteran 
Lieut. -General  Winfield  Scott,  while  the  Confederate  forces, 
about  a  hundred  thousand  strong,  occupied  Virginia  and 
menaced  Washington,  their  main  body,  at  Manassas  Junction, 
being  within  thirty  miles  of  that  city. 


When  did  hostilities  begin  ?  [  What  was  the  position  of  the  hostii* 

What  call  did  President  Lincoln  make?      forces  in  July  ? 
Wlmt  occftrred  ftt  Baltimore  ?  | 


WF  CAF"  '"ICINTO  STOPPING  THE  TRENT. 


BATTLE  OF  BULL  RUN. 


455 


The  first  actions  of  the  war  occurred  in  Virginia,  at  Phi- 
lippi,  Big  Bethel,  Romney,  and  Rich  Mountain.  Meanwhile 
General  Scott  had  been  planning  a  movement  in  force  on  the 
Confederate  main  body.  Troops  were  thrown  across  the 
Potomac,  and  on  the  18th  of  July  General  McDowell,  with 
fifty  thousand  men,  advanced  on  the  Confederates  at  Manassas. 
General  Beauregard  met  his  attack  at  Bull  Run  on  the  21st, 
and  being  reinforced  by  Geneial  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  com- 
pletely routed  the  United  States  aimy,  which  fled  in  confu- 
sion to  Washington,  having  lost  three  thousand  in  killed, 
wounded,  and  missing. 

General  McClellan,  who  had  shown  brilliant  military  talent 
at  Rich  Mountain,  was  then  placed  in  command  of  the  army 
of  the  Potomac.  The  Confederates  made  no  attempt  to  fol- 
low up  their  victory,  and  both  parties  prepared  for  decisive 
action. 

In  the  great  struggle  the  Confederates  sought  to  capture 
Washington,  and  gain  Maryland,  Kentucky,  and  Missouri, 
where  a  large  body  of  the  population  favored  their  cause. 
They  wished  also  to  obtain  recognition  as  a  new  country 
from  the  great  powers  in  Europe,  and  to  open  direct  com- 
merce with  England  and  France.  The  United  States  gov- 
ernment aimed  not  only  to  defeat  all  this,  but  to  overthrow 
the  Confederate  government,  and  bring  the  Southern  States 
back  to  their  former  position. 

To  carry  out  its  plans,  the  United  States  recognized  a  new 
Virginia  government  at  Wheeling,  and  General  Rosecrans,  by 
his  victory  over  the  Confederates  at  Carnifex  Ferry,  Sept.lOth, 
secured  the  western  part  of  the  state.  In  Missouri  the  energy 
of  Captain  Lyon  saved  the  State.  He  captured  a  hostile  camp, 
and  being  made  a  Brigadier-General,  organized  a  force,  and 
by  rapid  movements  disconcerted  the  enemy,  gaining  several 
victories,  but  was  killed,  Aug.  10th,  at  Wilson's  Creek.  After 
that  the  Confederates  seemed  for  a  time  about  to  secure 
the  State,  but  were  finally  driven  out  by  General  Halleck. 

England  and  France  showed  a  strong  inclination  to  recog- 
nize the  Confederate  States  and  open  direct  trade  with  them. 
England  recognized  them  as  belligerents,  and  aided  them  in- 
directly. The  seizure  of  Mason  and  Slidell,  two  Confeder- 
ate ambassadors,  on  the  Trent,  a  British  mail  steamer,  in- 
creased the  hostile  feeling  against  the  United  Slates. 


Where  were  the  first  engagements  ?  I  What  States  did  the  Federal  gOTem- 
Describe  the  battle  of  Bull  Run.  |    ment  secure,  and  how  ? 

Who  took  command  of  the  army  ?         Who  were  seized  on  the  Trent  ? 
What  were  the  aims  of  the  two  parties?  | 


456 


PAPER  MOKEY  ISSUfiO. 


In  order  to  cut  off  the  revolted  States  from  foreign  aid, 
the  government  prepared  to  capture  or  blockade  all  the 
Southern  ports.  An  expedition,  in  August,  1861,  took  the 
forts  at  HaLteras  inlet,  North  Carolina;  in  November  Com- 
modore Dupont  captured  the  forts  at  Port  Royal,  South 
Carolina,  and  occupied  that  harboi*.  In  February  General 
Burnside  captured  Roanoke  Island,  N.  G.  Fort  Pulaski,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Savannah  river,  was  besieged  by  Captain 
Gillmore,  and  so  demolished  that  it  surrendered  on  the  11th 
of  April ;  and  on  the  38th  of  the  same  month  a  fleet  under 
Commodore  Farragut  and  Commodore  Porter,  after  capturing 
Fort  Jackson  and  Fort  St.  Philip  on  the  Mississippi,  sailed 
up  to  New  Orleans,  and  General  Butler  took  possession  of  that 
city,  the  Confederates  retiring  without  striking  a  blow.  The 
United  States  had  thus  secured  important  points  all  along  the 
coast  from  the  Chesapeake  to  the  Mexican  border.  Other 
ports  were  blockaded  or  closed  as  far  as  possible. 

The  South  had  always  depended  on  the  North  and  on 
Europe  for  much  of  its  provisions,  and  nearly  all  its  manu- 
factured goods.  It  was  now  unable  to  send  out  the  cotton, 
tobacco,  and  sugar  which  it  raised,  in  order  to  purchase 
what  it  needed,  and  the  result  was  great  suffering  and  dis- 
tress ;  but  the  people  were  earnest,  and  bore  all  hardships 
with  courage. 

Both  the  United  States  government  and  that  of  the  Con- 
federates were  forced  to  issue  paper  money  to  meet  the  im- 
mense demand  for  the  pay,  support,  and  transportation  of 
the  armies,  and  the  purchase  of  arms  and  warlike  material. 
Gold  and  silver  disappeared  from  circulation,  and  even  in 
the  North,  where  the  resources  were  greater,  a  gold  dollar  at 
one  period  was  worth  nearly  three  in  paper.  From  the 
color  of  the  scroll-work  on  the  back  of  the  paper  money 
issued  by  the  United  States,  it,  obtained  the  name  of  green- 
backs. 

In  pursuance  of  the  general  plan  of  the  Federal  govern- 
ment, movements  were  organized  to  dislodge  the  Confederate 
forces  that  had  penetrated  into  Kentucky,  and  to  secure  the 
control  of  the  Mississippi  to  its  rnouth.  Early  in  January, 
1862,  the  Confederates  were  defeated  at  Mill  Spring  and  driven 
from  the  eastern  portion  of  the  State  ;  but  General  Johnston 
held  the  western,  protected  by  Fort  Henry  on  the  Tennessee, 
and  Fort  Donelson  on  the  Cumberland.    To  break  this  line 


What  naval  operations  were  success-  I  How  did  the  war  affect  the  South  ? 
fully  carried  out  f  \  To  what  did  both  sides  resort  ? 


BATTLE  OF  PITTSBURG  LANDING. 


457 


Oeneral  Grant  embarked  on  Commodore  Foote's  fleet,  at 
Cairo,  on  the  1st  of  February,  and  on  the  6th  his  army,  in 
three  divisions,  invested  Fort  Henry.  Before  the  attacking 
corps  could  move  on  the  works,  Commodore  Foote  opened 
an  effective  fire  on  the  fort.  Though  one  of  his  vessels  was 
disabled  with  heavy  loss,  his  gunboats. advanced,  and  the 
Confederates,  in  less  than  two  hours,  lowered  their  flag  and 
surrendered.  Part  of  the  garrison,  however,  escaped,  and 
was  pursued  by  Grant. 

On  the  14th  the  naval  and  military  forces  appeared  be- 
fore Fort  Donelson.  The  gunboats,  however,  suff'ered  so 
severely  that  they  \^"ere  compelled  to  draw  off*.  General 
Grant  invested  the  fort,  and  was  attacked  on  the  following 
day  by  the  Confederates  under  Pillow  and  Buckner,  at  first 
sustaining  heavy  loss,  but  finally  carrying  part  of  the 
enemy's  works.  The  next  day  the  fort  surrendered.  The 
Confederates  were  tlius  forced  out  of  Kentucky  and  Northern 
Tennessee,  and  took  up  a  position  further  south,  their  line 
extending  from  Island  No.  10  and  New  Madrid  to  Murfrees- 
boro. 

In  April  General  Pope  and  Commodore  Foote,  by  cutting 
a  canal,  captured  Island  No.  JO.  General  Grant,  with  his 
ai  my,  and  General  Buell  had  in  the  meantime  moved  towards 
Pittsburg  Landing,  where  two  Confederate  armies,  under 
Johnston  and  Beauregard,  were  concentrating.  On  the  5th 
of  April,  Grant  was  surprised  at  Pittsburg  Landing  by  the 
Confederate  forces.  Several  divisions  were  driven  in  dis- 
order to  the  shelter  of  the  gunboats,  with  heavy  loss  in 
prisoners,  but  two  divisions  held  firm  and  kept  up  the  battle 
till  four  in  the  afternoon.  The  Confederate  commander,  Al- 
bert Sydney  Johnston,  was  at  last  slain,  and  General  Beaure- 
gard drew  off  his  troops,  satisfied  with  the  advantage  that 
had  been  gained  ;  but  during  the  night  General  Buell 
came  up  with  twenty  thousand  fresh  men  to  reinforce  Grant. 
The  next  day  the  battle  was  renewed,  and  the  Confederate 
army  fell  back  to  Corinth,  each  side  having  lost  in  this  san- 
guinary  battle  nearly  10,000  men  in  killed,  wounded,  an\l 
missing. 

The  United  States  commanders  had  now  almost  com- 
pletely cut  off  communication  '  between  the  Confederate 
forces  in  the  East  and  West,  and  compelled  their  opponents 
to  abandon  all  important  operations  west  of  the  Mississippi. 


Describe  the  capture  of  Fort  Henry. 
Fort  Donelson  and  Island  No.  10. 


I  Describe  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Land* 
I  ing. 

$9 


458  THE  MONITOK  AND  THE  MEHRIMAC. 


In  the  East,  mean  while,  the  Confederate  arms  had  been 
more  successfuh  General  McClellan  resolved  to  leave 
a  force  to  protect  Washington,  and  prepared  to  transport 
an  army  to  Fortress  Monroe,  in  order  to  move  upon  Rich- 
mond, which  had  become  the  capital  of  the  Confederate 
States. 

But  meanwhile  a  strange  engagement  took  place  near 
Fortress  Monroe,  which  had  its  influence  on  all  naval  war- 
fare. Near  the  Fort  was  a  fleet  of  five  United  States  men- 
of-war,  apparently  in  complete  control  of  the  waters.  On 
the  8th  of  March  the  Merrimac,  an  old  Uuited  States  vessel 
sunk  at  Norfolk,  but  raised  by  the  Confederates,  and  covered 
with  a  pitched  roof  overlaid  with  railroad  iron  and  fitted  with 
a  powerful  ram,  steamed  out,  and  bearing  down  on  the  Cum- 
berland, drove  a  large  hole  in  the  vessel.  The  Cumberland 
poured  broadside  after  broadside  upon  her  antagonist,  but 
before  long  she  sank,  her  balls  glancing  off*  from  the  armored 
roof  of  the  Merrimac.  The  Congress  was  the  next  attacked, 
and  raked  and  cannonaded,  broadside  to  broadside,  till,  after 
losing  a  hundred  men,  and  in  flames,  she  struck.  The  Min- 
nesota was  aground,  but  she  replied  so  well  to  the  Merrimac 
that  the  Confederate  vessel  at  last  drew  off. 

Duriog  the  night  a  strange  vessel,  invented  by  Captain 
Ericsson,  with  a  deck  even  with  the  water,  and  a  revolving 
turret  carrying  a  very  heavy  cannon,  arrived  off*  Fortress 
Monroe.  Little  faith  had  been  placed  in  the  Monitor,  and 
the  navy  department  had  actually,  when  too  late,  ordered 
her  not  to  sail.  When  the  next  morning  the  Merrimac,  re- 
fitted during  the  night,  steamed  out  to  capture  the  Minnesota, 
she  encountered  this  strange  adversary,  upon  which  she 
could  make  no  impression  with  her  ram  or  her  guns.  After 
suff'ering  severely  the  Merrimac  at  last  retired. 

In  April  General  McClellan  proceeded  to.  Fortress  Mon- 
roe, but  the  army  under  his  command  was  materially  re- 
duced. The  naval  commanders  were  afraid  to  ascend  the 
rivers  while  the  Merrimac  was  afloat,  and  General  McClellan 
was  over-cautious.  After  being  checked  by  a  slight  force 
at  Yorktown,  he  defeated  the  Confederates  at  Williamsburg 
on  the  5th  of  May^  and  pushing  slowly  on  crossed  the  Ohick- 
ahominy  on  the  22d.  General  Wool  had  in  the  meantime 
captured  Norfolk,  and  the  Merrimac  had  been  destroyed. 


What  was  McClellan's  plan  ?  i  W' bat  was  the  proj^ress  of  Mcdellan  ? 

Describe  the  naval  CDgagOments  a|  What  battles  did  he  fight  ? 
Hainptpn  Ho^.  |  Whnt  city  was  takfen  by  Wool  f 


m 


Sanover  Court-House  was  taken,  and  on  the  31st  of  May 
General  Joseph  Johnston,  with  four  Confederate  divisions, 
attacked  McClellan  at  Fair  Oaks,  and  drove  back  his  left 
under  Casey  with  great  loss.  The  next  day  McClellan  at- 
tacked, and  at  last  forced  the  Confederates  from  the  field, 
with  their  general,  Johnston,  severely  wounded. 

After  this  battle  General  Robert  E.  Lee  assumed  command 
of  the  Confederate  forces.  McClellan  had  expected  addi- 
tional troops  by  water,  or  their  co-operation  by  land  ;  but 
the  activity  of  the  Confederates  caused  such  alarm  at  Wash- 
ington that  large  forces  were  kept  near  the  capital,  and  pre- 
vented from  acting  in  concert  with  McClellan.  That  gen- 
eral, fearing  to  be  cut  off,  moved  to  the  James,  and  on  the 
last  week  of  June  fought  the  battles  of  Mechanicsville,  Gaines' 
Mill,  and  White  Oak  Swamp,  with  great  loss  of  life  but  with 
no  decisive  effect. 

On  the  1st  of  July  the  Confederates  made  an  attack  on 
Malvern  Hill,  but  though  maintained  all  day  it  was  finally 
repulsed  with  great  loss.  This  ended  MoClellan's  campaign 
on  the  peninsula.  General  Halleck  was  placed  in  command 
of  the  armies,  and  it  was  determined  to  bring  McClellan's 
army  back  to  the  Potomac  and  unite  it  with  the  forces  un% 
der  General  Pope  in  the  northern  part  of  Virginia. 

No  sooner  did  Lee  see  himself  relieved  from  direct  attack 
on  the  part  of  McClellan  than  he  advanced  to  co-operate  with 
the  forces  which  were  already  a  match  for  Pope.  That 
general  had  been  reinforced  by  most  of  McClellan's  army, 
when  Lee,  on  the  30th  of  August,  after  a  number  of  pre- 
liminary engagements  near  the  old  battlefield  of  Bull  Run, 
drove  Pope  to  the  protection  of  the  field-works  at  Centreville, 
and  the  next  day  in  full  retreat  to  Washington,  having  lost 
nearly  twenty  thousand  men.  Pope  was  at  once  removed 
and  McClellan  placed  in  command.  He  reorganized  the 
army,  protected  Washington,  and  pushed  on  to  meet  Lee, 
who  had  marched  into  Maryland.  He  won  the  battle  of 
South  Mountain,  Sept.  14th,  and  in  the  great  battle  of  An- 
tietam,  three  days  after  (Sept.  17th),  completely  defeated 
Lee,  who  retreated  with  the  loss  of  twenty  thousand  men. 
He  fell  back  into  Virginia  pursued  by  McClellan. 

Burnside,  who  next  assumed  command  of  the  army  of  the 


What  battles  were  fought  by  McClellan 

on  his  way  to  the  James  ? 
What  did  Government  resolve  to  do 

after  the  battle  of  Malvern  Hill  ? 


What  was  the  'result  of  Pope's  cju»- 

paign  ? 

Who  was  replaced  in  command  ? 
Where  did  he  twice  defeat  Lee  f 


460 


01*ERATI6NS  in  the  WES'*. 


Potomac,  on  the  13tli  of  December,  1862,  crossed  the  Rap- 
pahannock at  Fredericksburg  to  attack  the  Confederate  army; 
but  his  movement  under  General  Franklin  on  the  Confederate 
right  was  feeble,  and  that  on  Marye's  Height  by  Sumner, 
and  afterwards  by  Hooker,  was  repulsed  with  terrible  loss  by 
Gen.  Lee,  who  at  that  point  directed  the  operations  of  the 
battle.  After  removing  his  wounded,  Burnside  withdrew 
across  the  river  without  attempting  to  renew  the  battle. 

In  the  West  the  Confederates,  after  being  defeated  in  a 
naval  engagement  and  losing  Memphis,  took  the  offensive, 
andin  the  summer  of  1862,  two  armies,  under  Generals  Kirby 
Smith  and  Bragg,  invaded  Kentucky.  Smith  moving  rap- 
idly through  the  passes  of  the  Cumberland  Mountains,  sur- 
prised General  Mauson  at  Richmond,  and  captured  nearly 
his  whole  force,  with  its  arms  and  supplies.  He  then  took 
Lexington  and  Frankfort,  and  menaced  Cincinnati.  Bragg, 
with  the  main  Confederate  army,  took  Mumfordsville,  but 
lost  time  inaugurating  a  governor  at  Frankfort.  This  gave 
the  United  States  troops  under  General  Buell  time  to  come 
up,  and  then  Bragg  began  to  retreat.  He  made  a  stand  at 
Perry ville,  where  a  fierce  battle  was  fought  on  the  8th  of 
October.  Buell  suffered  so  severely  that  Bragg  was  able  to 
continue  his  retreat  unmaested  to  Tennessee.  General 
Rosecrans,  who  had  recently  shown  ability  in  operations 
against  the  Confederates  in  Mississippi,  defeating  them  at 
luka  and  Corinth,  was  then  appointed  to  hold  Bragg  in  check. 
On  the  30lh  of  December  he  attacked  the  Confederates  at 
Stone  River,  but  on  the  following  day  Bragg  drove  in  Rose- 
crans'  right  wing,  though  the  assault  on  the  left  was  repulsed 
with  heavy  loss.  On  the  2d  of  January  Bragg  again  at- 
tacked, but  Rosecrans  advanced  with  his  whole  line,  routing 
Bragg's  right,  and  compelling  him  to  retreat.  In  this  long 
and  bloody  battle  each  army  lost  nearly  nine  thousand  men. 

About  the  same  time  General  Sherman,  with  a  detach- 
ment of  Grant's  army,  attacked  Vicksburg  on  the  Mississippi, 
a  strong  position  which  enabled  the  Confederates  to  control 
the  navigation  of  the  river.  The  place  was  one  of  natural 
strength,  and  was  well  fortified.  In-  his  operations  from 
December  27th  to  the  30th  Sherman  lost  three  thousand  men, 
and  retired.  The  capture  of  Arkansas  Post,  with  the  aid  of 
Admiral  Porter,  was  some  compensation  for  his  defeat. 


What  Confederate  General  invaded  I  Who  succeeded  Buell  and  defeated 

Kentucky  ?  I    Bragg  at  Stone  River  ? 

By  whom  was  he  driven  out  ?  W'aat  were  Sherman's  movements  is 

j    the  West? 


CONSCRIPTION  ACT. 


461 


On  the  1st  of  January,  1863,  President  Lincoln  issued  a 
proclanaation  declaring  the  slaves  in  all  parts  of  Arkansas, 
Texas,  Louisiana,  Mississippi,  Alabama,  Georgia,  Florida, 
South  Carolina,  North  Carolina,  and  Virginia,  not  occupied 
by  the  United  States  troops,  to  be  forever  free. 

On  the  3d  of  March  a  conscription  act  was  passed  for 
forcing  all  able-bodied  men  in  the  country  into  the  army. 
This  extreme  measure  bore  heavily  on  the  poor  who  could 
not  purchase  substitutes,  and  aroused  a  bitter  feelings  cul- 
minating in  New  Yoik  in  a  terrible  riot.  In  many  parts 
cities  and  counties  borrowed  money  to  obtain  substitutes  for 
the  drafted  men,  and  make  the  draft  less  oppressive. 

In  April  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  which  had  been  placed 
under  the  command  of  General  Hooker,  crossed  the  Rappa- 
hannock and  Rapidan,  and  penetrated  through  a  district 
called  the  wilderness  to  Chancellorsville.  Lee  advanced  to 
meet  him,  and  engaging  him  by  direct  attacks  in  front,  sent 
General  Jackson,  commonly  called  Stonewall  Jackson,  to 
move  around  and  fall  on  Hooker's  rear.  He  succeeded  com- 
pletely, and  on  the  afternoon  of  May  2d  attacked  and  rout- 
ed the  eleventh  corps  under  General  Howard,  but  was  soon 
after  mortally  wounded.  The  next  day  Lee  attacked  in 
force  and  drove  Hooker  back  from  all  his  positions,  and 
Sedgwick,  who  had  been  operating  against  Fredericksburg, 
was  also  repulsed.  Hooker  finally  retired  beyond  the  Rap- 
pabannock,  nearly  fifteen  thousand  men  having  been  lost  in 
this  ineff'ectual  movement,  but  the  Confederates  numbered 
among  their  dead  their  able  general,  T.  J.  Jackson. 

Lee  at  once  prepared  for  an  oflTensive  campaign,  and  with 
his  army  reinforced  he  pushed  through  the  Blue  Ridge,  and 
about  the  middle  of  June  suiprised  General  Milroy  at  Win- 
chester, capturing  nearly  all  his  force.  Hooker  at  once 
moved  to  cover  Washington,  harassed  on  the  way  by  Con- 
federate cavalry.  Ewell,  with  part  of  the  Confederate  army, 
crossed  the  Potomac  and  pushed  into  Pennsylvania.  Gen- 
eral George  G.  Meade,  who  took  command  of  the  United 
States  forces  on  the  28th  of  June,  at  once  got  his  army  in  hand 
to  move  on  Gettysburg,  for  which  point  Lee  also  was  pressing^ 
On  the  1st  of  July  Meade  entered  the  place,  and  at  ten 
o'clock  Reynolds'  corps  engaged  the  Confederate  advance  at 


What  proclamation  did  President  Lin-  What  wore  Lee's  movements  after  the 

coin  issue  ?  battle  of  Chancellorsville  ? 

What  act  was  passed,  and  to  what  did  Where  did  General  Meade  finally  meet 

it  lead  ?  him  ? 

Describe  Hooker's  campaign. 


462 


BATTLE  OF  GETTYSBURG. 


Oak  Ridge  just  beyond  tlie  town.  Reynolds  fell,  and  hig 
corps  was  driven  b.ick  by  Hill  and  Ewell.  Howard's  corps 
also  came  up,  but  it  too  yielded  to  tlie  Confederate  charge 
till  General  Hancock  took  command  and  checked  the  enemy. 
Meade  then  drew  his  army  up  in  a  very  strong  position  at 
Gettysburg,  with  Cemetery  Hill  as  his  centre.  His  left, 
under  Sickles,  was  assaulted  on  the  2d  by  Longstreet,  and 
driven  in,  till  Slocum  with  the  fifth  corps  checked  his  advance ; 
but  Ewell  failed  to  make  any  impression  on  Cemetery  Hill. 
The  next  morning  Lee  made  a  tremepdous  attack  on  Meade's 
right,  and  massed  his  artillery  to  bear  on  Cemetery  Hill,  and 
then  attacked,  but  his  men  were  finally  driven  back  with 
fearful  loss.  The  United  States  army  had  lost  over  twenty 
thousand  men,  but  held  its  ground. 

On  the  5th  Lee  began  to  retreat,  cautiously  followed  by 
Meade,  and  finally  took  up  his  position  beyond  the  Rapidan, 
the  army  of  the  Potomac  encamping  around  Culpepper. 

In  the  West  many  important  operations  took  place.  Gen- 
eral Grant,  with  the  aid  of  gunboats  under  Porter  and  Far- 
ragut,  made  a  resolute  eflfort  to  reduce  Vicksburg.  A  Con- 
federate army  under  General  Johnston  was  marching  to  its 
relief.  Grant  advancing  up  the  Big  Black  defeated  the  Con- 
federates at  Raymond  and  Jackson,  destroying  railroads, 
bridges,  factories,  workshops,  and  a  church  in  the  latter 
place.  Llere  he  learned  that  Pemberton  had  been  ordered 
to  assail  him  in  the  rear  with  the  garrison  at  Vicksburg. 
Uniting  his  forces  he  at  once  faced  Pemb^ton,  and  attacked 
him  at  Champion's  Hill  (May  16th),  completely  routing  his 
forces.  He  pursued  them  to  the  Big  Black,  where  a  stand 
was  made,  but  the  Confederate  position  was  taken,  the  gar- 
rison surrendering.  Sherman  then  pushed  on  and  took  post 
north  of  Vicksburg,  the  rest  of  Grant's  corps,  as  they  came 
up,  surrounding  the  town. 

Admiral  Porter,  with  part  of  Grant's  forces,  moved  on  the 
formidable  fortifications  at  Haines' Bluflf  on  the  Yazoo,  north 
of  Vicksburg,  but  the  Confederates  abandoned  them,  leaving 
all  their  artillery  and  ammunition.  Pemberton  then  gave 
up  all  other  outposts,  and  retired  within  the  town,  finding  it 
impossible  to  cut  his  way  through  the  United  States  forces 
and  eftect  a  junction  with  Johnston.  As  that  Confederate 
commander  might  assail  him  at  any  moment,  Grant  attacked 


What  great  battle  was  fought  in  July  ? 
What  Confederate  general  tried  to  re- 
Jieve  Vicksburg  ? 


Where  did  Grant  defeat  him  ? 
How  was  Vicksburg  invested? 


FALL  OF  VICKSBURG  AND  PORT  HUDSON. 


46? 


Vicksburg  on  the  19th  and  22d  of  May,  while  Porter  can- 
nonaded the  river  forts  with  his  guuboats.  Grant's  attack  was 
repulsed  with  heavy  loss,  and  renewed  without  effect  on  June 
25th,  but  the  fleet  continued  the  bombardment  for  six  weeks, 
compelling  the  inhabitants  to  live  in  caves  dug  in  the  hill- 
side. 

Grant's  operations  were  aided  by  the  effect  of  General 
Banks'  campaign.  After  sweeping  across  Louisiana,  that 
commander,  on  the  27th  of  May,  invested  Port  Hudson,  the 
only  other  stronghold  on  the  river,  being  assisted  by  gun- 
boats under  Farragut. 

At  last,  on  the  3d  of  July,  Pemberton  proposed  an  armis- 
tice, and  the  next  day  surrendered  Vicksburg,  with  25,000 
men,  90  pieces  of  artillery,  and  40,000  arms.  On  the  8th 
Port  Hudson  also  surrendered  to  General  Banks,  giving  the 
complete  control  of  the  Mississippi  to  the  United  States 
forces. 

General  Rosecrans,  on  the  3d  of  June,  advanced  to  force 
General  Bragg  out  of  Tennessee,  and  the  Confederate  com- 
mander fell  back  to  Chattanooga.  Rosecrans  moved  after 
him,  while  Burnside  slowly  co-operated  with  a  separate  force. 
As  the  corps  of  Rosecrans'  army  were  divided  and  passing 
through  the  gaps  in  the  mountains,  Bragg  attacked  them, 
but  without  effect,  and  Rosecrans  took  post  on  the  Chica- 
mauga.  Bragg  had  been  reinforced  from  Virginia  by  Long- 
street's  corps,  and  felt  able  to  meet  his  adversary.  The 
battle  of  Chicamauga  began  on  September  19th  in  a  severe 
but  indecisive  action.  It  was  resumed  the  next  day,  and 
the  centre  of  Rosecrans'  line  was  broken  by  Longstreet. 
General  Thomas  saved  the  day.  A  new  position  was  taken  up 
at  Mission  Ridge,  but  the  Confederates,  following  up  their  ad- 
vantage, compelled  the  United  States  array  to  retreat  to  Chat- 
tanooga, with  the  loss  of  sixteen  thousand  men  and  36 
pieces  of  artillery. 

General  Grant  was  then  placed  in  command,  and  the 
army  reinforced  by  two  corps  from  Virginia.  Sherman  also 
marched  from  Vicksburg  to  join  it.  This  gave  Grant  nearly 
twice  as  many  men  as  Bragg.  He  immediately  assailed  the 
enemy,  and  after  a  series  of  engagements,  succeeded  in  driv- 
the  Confederate  army  into  Georgia.    Bragg  had  detached 


What  other  Confederate  stronghold 

was  assailed  ? 
When  did  Vicksburg  surrender  ? 
When  did  Port  Hudson  ? 


What  were  Rosecrans'  movements  ? 
Describe  the  battle  of  Chicamauga. 
Who  succeeded  Rosecrans  and  defefttej 
Bragg  ? 


464 


GRANT  MADE  COMMANDER-IN- CHIEF. 


Longstreet  to  attack  Bariiiside  at  Knoxville,  but  that  officer 
failed  to  take  the  place,  and  retreated  when  Sherman  moved 
toils  relief.  Tennessee  was  thus  completely  vn rested  from 
the  Confederates. 

No  large  forces  of  theirs  was  left  in  the  West,  and  smaller 
bodies  were  attacked  in  detail,  or  sought  to  aid  the  sinking 
cause  by  cavahy  laids.  There  was  fighting  in  Mis^^ouri,  and 
subsequently  in  Louisiana,  where  General  Banks  conducted 
a  campaign  on  the  Bed  River,  but  without  any  sti  iking  suc- 
cess. The  naval  forces  had  meanwhile  attacked  Fort  Sum- 
ter, and  though  at  first  repulsed,  at  last  reduced  it  to  a 
harmless  condition,  and  then  began  a  regular  bombardment 
of  Charleston.  In  February,  1864,  Grant,  v\h(»se  military 
ability  was  generally  recognized,  was  created  Lieutenant- 
General,  and  became  commander-in-chief  of  all  the  armies  of 
the  United  States.  After  concentrating  the  western  armies 
under  General  Sherman,  he  joined  the  army  of  the  Potomac, 
and  on  the  3d  of  May  issued  orders  for  the  advance  of  both 
these  well-equipped  bodies. 

The.  army  of  the  Potomac  crossed  the  Rapid  an,  and  flank- 
ing Lee,  pressed  on  toward  Richmond.  On  the  5th  of  May 
the  Confederate  General  engaged  Grant  in  the  Wilderness, 
but,  after  a  three  days'  struggle,  drew  off  and  renewed  the 
battle  at  Spottsylvania  Court-House.  There  General  Han- 
cock attacked  and  carried  the  intrencbments  on  the  Confed- 
erate right,  but  the  rest  of  their  line  held  firm.  Meanwhile 
Sheridan,  with  a  cavahy  force,  was  cutting  Lee's  communica- 
tions in  the  rear  to  the  very  defences  of  Richmond,  encounter- 
ing and  killing  Stuart,  the  great  cavalry  efiicer  of  the  South. 

During  the  time  that  Grant  and  Lee  were  thus,  at  fearful 
cost  of  life,  renewing  battles  almost  daily,  another  United 
States  army,  under  General  Butler,  was  advancing  south  of 
the  James  River  on  Petersburg  and  Richmond,  threatening 
tha Confederate  capital  also  by  a  fleet  of  gunboats.  To  relieve 
the  city,  Beauregard  attacked  Butler  (May  I6th),  and  gaining 
some  advantage,  cheeked  his  further  advance. 

Grant,  flanking  Lee,  pushed  on  later  in  May  to  the  Chick- 
ahominy,  compelling  his  opponent  to  take  up  a  position  north 
and  northeast  of  Richmond.  Butler  then  ci  ossed  the  Appo- 
mattox, and  Petersburg  was  attacked  by  General  W.  F. 


What  were  Banks'  operations  ? 
Who  was  made  Lieutenant-General  ? 
When  did  be  order  a  general  move" 


I  Describe  the  battles  of  the  Wilderness 
I    and  Spottsylvania  Court-House  ? 
I  What  did  Sheridan  accomplish  ? 
J  Against  what  city  was  Butler  moviiig? 


OPERATIONS  IN  THE  SHENANDOAH  VALLEY. 


465 


Smith,  on  the  I5th  of  June.  For  several  days  the  Confeder- 
ates under  Beauregard  maintained  their  lines,  and  at  last 
General  Smith  was  compelled  to  retire.  An  attempt  was 
made  (July  30th)  to  blow  up  the  Confederate  intrenchments, 
and  in  the  confusion  an  assault  was  made,  but  the  column 
failed  to  carry  the  works,  and  drew  off  again  with  severe 
loss. 

While  Grant  and  his  armies  were  thus  held  fast,  a  Confed- 
erate force  under  Early  dashed  up  the  Shenandoah  valley 
into  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania,  and  menaced  Washington, 
its  course  was  marked  by  the  destruction  of  farmhouse  and 
village.  Sheridan  was  sent  to  drive  him  back  into  the  Shen- 
andoah valley.  He  defeated  Early  at  Winchester,  routing 
him  with  great  loss,  and  then,  in  retaliation  for  Early's  con- 
duct, spread  desolation  through  the  country.  The  Confed-^ 
erate  commander  was  not  inactive,  and  during  Sheridan's 
absence  at  Washington,  on  the  19th  of  October,  attacked  his 
army  at  Cedar  Creek,  and  defeated  it  completely,  capturing 
eighteen  guns.  The  next  morning  Sheridan  arrived,  and 
renewed  the  battle  with  such  skill  that  his  troops,  full  of 
confidence,  routed  Early  so  utterly  that  he  fled  from  the 
valley. 

This  diversion  had  not  benefited  Lee,  whose  army  was  in 
constant  danger.  To  cut  off  his  communications  with  the 
South,  Grant,  in  August,  seized  the  Weldon  railroad,  and  all 
the  Confederate  efforts  could  not  dislodge  his  corps.  Grant 
also  carried  part  of  their  works  on  the  Newmarket  road, 
driving  the  Confederates  within  their  main  intrenchments. 
An  ineffectual  movement  against  Petersburg  followed. 

During  the  year  1864  an  attempt  was  made  to  capture 
the  Alabama,  Captain  Semmes,  a  vessel  built  and  fitted  out 
in  England,  which  had  destroyed  a  large  number  of  Ameri- 
can merchantmen.  She  was  the  third  vessel  of  the  kind,  and 
the  most  active.  On  the  19th  of  June,  1864,  the  Kearsarge, 
Captain  Winslow,  overtook  her  at  Cherbourg,  and  Semmes 
was  compelled  to  fight.  Winslow,  by  his  rapid  fire  soon 
compelled  the  Alabama  to  surrender.  She  raised  the  white 
flag,  but  sank  in  twenty  minutes,  carrying  down  many  of  her 
crew,  Semmes,  wounded  in  the  action,  was  picked  up  by 
an  English  yacht,  and  taken  to  England.  The  Georgia, 
another  Confederate  cruiser,  was  captured  by  the  Niagara 
(Aug.  15th)  off  the  coast  of  Portugal;  and  the  Florida,  in 


Describe  the  campaign  betv/een  Early  I  What  was  the  fate  of  the  Confederate 
and  Sheridan.  j    cruisers  ? 


m 


SHERMAN  CAPTURES  ATLANTA. 


violation  of  interoational  law,  was  captured  by  the  Wachusett 
on  the  1th  of  October,  while  lying  in  the  Brazilian  port  of 
Bahia.  After  the  close  of  the  war  the  United  States  de- 
manded of  the  British  government  compensation  for  the 
vessels  destroyed  by  the  Alabama. 

Mobile,  a  great  resort  of  blockade  runners,  was  protected 
by  several  Confederate  ironclads,  and  threatened  to  open  a 
new  career  of  cruisers.  Admiral  Farragut  was  sent  against 
it  with  a  fleet.  He  sailed  into  the  harbor  on  the  5th  of 
August,  attacking  Fort  Morgan  and  the  enemy's  fleet.  The 
monitor  Tecumseh  was  blown  up  by  a  torpedo,  and  sank 
with  all  on  board,  but  Farragut's  fire  drove  the  gunners  from 
the  land  batteries,  and  his  fleet  pushed  on  till  it  encountered 
the  ironclad  Tennessee,  accompanied  by  three  gunboats. 
Farragut  soon  disabled  the  gunboats,  and  tried  to  run  down 
the  Tennessee,  while  his  heavy  guns  thundered  at  her,  till, 
seeing  his  vessel  reduced  to  a  wreck,  her  commander,  Bu- 
chanan, surrendered.  The  forts  then  yielded,  and  Mobile  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  United  States  forces. 

Sherman,  in  the  West,  had  received  orders  to  move  simul- 
taneously with  the  advance  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 
In  May  he  had  concentrated  the  armies  of  McPherson, 
Thomas,  and  Schofield  at  Chattanooga,  nearly  100,000  men, 
with  254  cannon.  Atlanta,  the  great  seat  of  the  Southern 
manufacture  of  warlike  material,  was  his  first  object,  as  it 
was  also  a  place  of  strategic  importance.  General  Johnston 
disputed  his  progress  at  Buzzard's  Roost.  After  a  sharp  action 
at  E-esaca  on  the  15th,  Johnston  retreated  to  the  Etowah,  turn- 
ing before  he  crossed  it  to  make  a  furious  attack  on  Sherman's 
centre.  On  the  28th  Johnston  again  attacked  him  at  Dal- 
las, but  was  repulsed  with  heavy  loss.  After  a  series  of  en- 
gagements at  Lost  Mountain  and  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Sher- 
man drove  Johnston  into  the  defences  in  front  of  Atlanta. 
President  Davis  then  placed  General  Hood  in  command  of 
the  army,  hoping  to  repulse  Sherman.  The  new  general 
immediately  attacked  Thomas  at  Peach  Tree  Creek,  but  was 
repulsed,  and  Sherman  drew  up  his  lines  before  Atlanta. 
General  McPherson  was  killed  at  the  outset  of  the  siege, 
and  Hood  attacked  with  great  fury,  striking  with  his  cav» 
airy  at  Sherman's  rear,  and  routing  two  of  his  columns. 


Describe  Farragut's  operations  against 
Mobile. 

On  what  city  did  Sherman  move,  and 
with  what  army  ? 


Who  attempted  to  oppose  him  ? 
What  Confederate  general  was  tbm 
placed  iu  command  ? 


THE  MARCH  TO  THE  SEA. 


467 


On  the  28th  of  July  he  attacked  Howard,  who  had  suc- 
ceeded McPherson.  Sherman  failing  to  cut  off  his  railroad 
communications,  then  drew  oflf  from  Atlanta  all  but  one  corps. 
Hood  on  this  detached  part  of  his  force  under  Hardee  to 
follow  him,  when  Sherman  cut  off  Hardee  from  Atlanta,  in- 
tercepting all  Hood's  communications  with  the  South.  The 
Confederate  general  had  no  alternative  but  to  abandon  At- 
lanta, which  he  did  on  the  1st  of  September,  after  destroying 
all  stores  that  he  could  not  carry.  The  place  was  at  once 
occupied  by  the  United  States  troops.  Sherman  ordered 
the  departure  of  all  the  inhabitants  who  were  not  employed 
by  him,  offering  them  transportation  for  some  distance. 

Hood,  in  despair,  marched  north,  trying  to  cut  off  Sher- 
man's communications,  but  failed  in  his  attacks,  and  being 
closely  followed,  retreated  into  Alabama,  where  Beauregard 
superseded  him. 

Sherman,  in  October,  leaving  Thomas  at  Chattanooga, 
prepared  to  march  on  Savannah.  On  the  loth  of  November 
he  set  fire  to  Atlanta,  and  moved  into  the  heart  of  Georgia 
in  four  columns,  intending  to  subsist  on  the  country.  There 
was  no  force  but  militia  to  oppose  his  experienced  troops. 
Milledgeville  was  taken,  plundered,  and  partially  destroyed 
on  the  22d,  the  legislature  flying  in  a  panic;  he  swept  on  in 
his  devastating  march,  foraging  on  the  country  as  he  went, 
speedily  repulsing  all  attack,  and  on  the  10th  of  December 
invested  Savannah.  Three  days  later  he  carried  by  assault 
Fort  McAllister,  which  commanded  the  mouth  of  the  Ogee- 
chee.  This  enabled  Admiral  Dahlgren  to  co-operate  with 
him.  General  Hardee  was  summoned  to  surrender  Savannah 
on  the  17th,  but  he  refused,  and  on  the  20th  effected  his  es- 
cape from  the  city.  Meanwhile  Hood  had  moved  against 
Thomas,  and  for  a  time  menaced  Nashville,  but  was  finally 
driven  south  with  but  a  fragment  of  his  army. 

The  Presidential  election  of  1864  took  place  amid  these 
stirring  events.  The  Republicans  nominated  Mr.  Lincoln  as 
President,  and  Andrew  Johnson  of  Tennessee  as  Vice-Presi- 
dent ;  while  the  Democrats  selected  as  their  candidates  Gen- 
eral George  B.  McClellan,  and  Mr.  Pendleton  of  Ohio.  Mr. 
Lincoln  was  re-elected,  McClellan  receiving  the  vote  of  only 
three  Northern  States. 

With  the  opening  of  the  year  1865  the  hopes  of  the  Con- 


How  dM  Sherman  succeed  in  capturing 

Atlanta  ? 
Wh&t  did  he  do  to  the  place  ? 


Describe  his  march  to  Savannah. 
Who  were  the  Presidential  candidates 
in  1864,  and  who  was  elected  ? 


468 


CAPTUEE  OF  RICHMOKD. 


foderacy  vanished.  Their  capital  and  their  only  two  impor- 
tant armies  were  inclosed  by  superior  forces  ;  their  supplie* 
were  failing,  and  their  ranks  thiuning.  They  might  have 
made  honorable  terms  at  this  time,  but  would  not  yield. 

In  February  Sherman  left  Savannah,  garrisoned,  and 
marched  into  South  Carolina  marking  his  course  by  fire. 
On  the  16th  he  took  Columbia,  the  capital  of  the  State, 
which  was  almost  immediately  reduced  to  ashes.  As  he 
advanced,  Beauregard  retreated  to  Charlotte,  North  Carolina, 
and  Hardee  evacuated  Charleston,  which  was  fired  by  the  Con- 
federates, and  was  occupied  by  General  Gillmore  (Feb.  18). 
North  Carolina  was  next  invaded.  Already  Fort  Fisher,  on 
the  coast,  had  been  taken,  and  Schofield  had  pushed  the 
siege  of  Wilmington  so  vigorously  that  the  Confederates,  de- 
stroying steamers,  cotton,  and  government  stores,  evacuated 
the  place.  General  Johnston  had  now  been  restored  to 
command,  and  had  gathered  the  fragments  of  difi*erent  ar- 
mies, making  a  force  formidable  in  infantry,  artillery,  and 
cavalry.  Sherman,  in  a  general  engagement  at  Benton- 
ville  lasting  from  the  19th  to  the  2lstof  March,  drove  John- 
ston toward  Smithfield. 

While  Sherman  was  thus  advancing  to  join  him,  Grant 
had  not  been  idle.  Sheridan  had  again  swept  down  the 
Shenandoah  valley,  and  on  the  25th  of  March  Lee  had  made 
a  furious  attack,  capturing  Fort  Stedman,  although  he  failed 
to  hold  it.  While  Grant  was  preparing  for  a  general  onset, 
Lee  again  assumed  the  ofifensive,  attacking  Warren  and  then 
Sheridan  with  some  success. 

On  the  1st  of  April  Grant  opened  with  his  artillery  all 
along  his  line,  and  the  next  day  three  corps  assaulted  Peters- 
burg. The  Confederates  resisted  gallantly,  but  the  w^orks 
were  carried.  Lee  drew  up  his  army  within  the  inner  de- 
fences of  the  city,  and  General  A.  V.  Hill  lost  his  life  in  a 
last  desperate  charge  on  Grant's  lines.  That  night  Peters- 
burg was  evacuated ;  the  Confederate  government  retired  to 
Charlotte,  North  Carolina,  and  the  public  buildings  and 
many  others  in  Richmond  were  given  to  the  flames.  On 
the  3d  of  April  General  Weitzel,  with  a  negro  corps,  entered 
the  city. 

Lee  was  in  full  retreat,  hoping  to  eflfect  a  junction  with 


Describe  Sherman's  invasion  of  South 
Carolina. 

»^hat  fort  and  what  city  in  North  Caro- 
lina had  been  taken  ? 


What  operations  took  place  between 

Sherman  and  Johnston  ? 
Describe  the  final  operations  against 

Petersburg. 
When  was  Kichmond  abandoned  ? 


TRIAL  OF  THE  ASSASSINS. 


Johnston,  but  Sheridan,  on  the  4th  of  April,  cut  the  railroad 
to  Danville  and  intrenched.  An  attempt  to  escape  to 
Lynchburg  was  thwarted,  but  Lee  fought  on,  hoping  against 
hope.  On  the  7th,  Grant  wrote  to  Lee  urging  him  to  sur- 
render and  not  prolong  a  vain  struggle.  Lee  met  him  in  a 
small  dwelling  near  Appomattox  Court-House,  on  the  9th  of 
April,  and  agreed  on  terms  of  surrender.  The  Confederate 
army  laid  down  its  arms,  the  officers  and  soldiers  were 
paroled  and  sought  their  homes. 

While  the  North  was  rejoicing  over  an  event  which  thus 
virtually  closed  the  war,  President  Liiicola  was  assassinated 
at  Ford's  Theatre,  Washington,  on  the  night  of  the  3  4th  of 
April.  In  pursuance  of  a  plot,  John  Wilkes  Booth,  an 
actor,  shot  Mr.  Lincoln,  while  another  of  the  band  attempted 
to  kill  Mr.  Seward,  Secretary  of  State,  at  his  house. 


CHAPTER  Lin. 

ADMINISTRATION  OF  ANDREW  JOHNSON. 

By  the  death  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  the  presidency  devolved  on 
Andrew  Johnson,  a  native  of  'North  Carolina,  a  man  of 
ability,  who  had  long  held  positions  of  importance  in  Ten- 
nessee. He  took  the  oath  on  the  15th  of  April.  One  of 
his  first  acts  was  a  proclamation  offering  rewards  for  Jeffer- 
son Davis,  Jacob  Thompson,  and  others  believed  to  have 
been  principals  in  the  plot  against  the  life  of  Mr.  Lincoln. 

Booth  was  pursued  and  shot  in  a  barn,  where  he  had  taken 
refuge.  Payne,  the  assailant  of  Mr.  Sew^ard,  and  some 
others,  including  a  lady,  Mrs.  Surratt,  were  arrested,  tried 
before  a  military  court,  and  nearly  all  were  hung,  although 
the  evidence  against  Mrs.  Surratt  was  utterly  unsatisfactory. 

The  body  of  Mr.  Lincoln  was  carried  to  Illinois,  receiving 
funeral  honors  in  all  the  great  cities  on  the  route. 

On  the  very  day  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  death.  General  John- 
ston proposed  to  Sherman  a  suspension  of  hostilities.  Terms 
were  agreed  upon  on  the  18th,  but  as  these  could  not  be 
admitted,  Johnston,  on  the  26th,  surrendered  on  the  same 


What  was  the  fate  of  Lee's  army  ? 
What  dreadful  event  occurred  soon 
after? 

Who  became  President  on  the  death 
of  Mr.  Lmcoln  ? 


What  proclamation  did  he  issue  ? 
What  became  of  Booth  ? 
Describe  the  trial  of  the  conspirators. 
Describe  the  last  movements  of  John* 

BtOQ. 


SOUTHERN  RECOSTSTRtJCTION. 


terms  accorded  to  General  Lee.  In  May  the  Confederates 
beyond  the  Mississippi,  and  other  detached  bodies,  surren- 
dered, but  the  flag  still  floated  at  sea,  the  Shenandoah 
destroying  American  vessels  till  the  6th  of  November,  when 
it  surrendered  to  the  British  authorities  at  Liverpool. 

Jefferson  Davis,  President  of  the  Confederate  States,  was 
captured  in  Georgia  on  the  16th  of  May  and  taken  to  For- 
tress Monroe.  There  was  no  evidence  that  he  at  all  approved 
the  mad  scheme  of  Booth,  or  knew  anything  about  it  ;  but 
it  was  not  till  May  13,  1867,  that  he  was  released  on  bail. 
He  was  never  brought  to  trial  on  any  charge. 

With  the  close  of  the  war,  the  greater  part  of  the  im- 
mense army,  amounting  to  800,000  men,  were  mustered  out 
before  the  1st  of  July,  and  returned  to  their  usual  avocations. 
The  war  cost  the  country  the  lives  of  moi  e  than  half  a  mill- 
ion of  the  people,  and  accumulated  a  debt  of  nearly  three 
thousand  millions  of  dollars.  The  Southern  States  were  ex- 
hausted and  ravaged  by  the  armies ;  the  planters  were  all 
reduced  to  poverty. 

The  great  question  before  the  government  of  the  United 
States  was  the  poHcy  to  be  adopted  towards  the  South. 
Before  the  close  of  the  war,  President  Lincoln  had  adopted  a 
policy  for  restoring  loyal  gov.ernments  in  the  Southern  States. 
Under  his  pioclaniation  of  December  8,  1863,  governments 
w^ere  organized  in  Louisiana  and  Tennessee  ;  but  -Congress, 
while  it  did  not  take  any  action  against  President  Lincoln, 
declined  to  admit  senators  and  representatives  from  those 
States. 

Pursuing  the  same  policy,  President  Johnson,  in  May  and 
June,  1865,  appointed  provisional  governors  of  North  Caro- 
lina, Mississippi,  Georgia,  Texas,  Alabama,  South  Carolina, 
and  Florida.  These  governors  called  conventions,  for  which 
all  who  had  taken  advantage  of  the  amnesty  off'ered  were 
allowed  to  vote.  The  conventions  repealed  the  ordinance  of 
secession,  abolished  slavery,  and  declared  all  debts  incurred 
for  the  late  war  to  be  void.  They  also  ratified  the  thir- 
teenth amendment.  Congress,  however,  as  before,  declined 
to  admit  any  senators  or  representatives  fiom  these  States. 

It  was  evident  that  Congress  was  bent  on  a  rigorous 
course,  and  when  Johnson,  deeming  their  policy  extreme, 


What  became  of  the  Confederate  cruis- 
ers ? 

WTiat  became  of  Jefierson  Davis  ? 
What  had  the  war  cost  the  country  ? 


WTiat  was  now  the  great  question  be« 

fore  the  government  ? 
What  had  been  Lincoln's  plan  ? 
What  course  did  J  ohnson  pursue  2 


DISSENSIONS. 


vetoed  the  acts,  they  were  passed  over  his  veto,  exciting  bit- 
ter feelings  on  both  sides.  On  the  9ih  of  April,  1866,  a 
civil  rights  bill  was  passed  to  insure  to  negroes  an  equality 
with  whites.  On  tlie  13ih  of  June  another  amendment  to 
the  Constitution,  the  fourteenth,  was  adopted.  It  provided 
that  no  State  should  abridge  the  immunities  of  citizens,  as- 
sume any  debt  for  the  late  war  against  the  Union,  or  pay 
pensions  to  any  one  who  served  agiiinst  it. 

Although  Tennessee  was  finally  recognized,  a  series  of 
acts  from  March  to  July  deelared  that  no  legal  State  govern- 
ments existed  in  Virginia,  North  or  South  Carolina,  Georgia, 
Florida,  Alabama,  Mississippi,  Louisiana,  or  Arkansas,  thus 
sweeping  away  the  new  State  governments,  and  dividing  those 
States  as  conquered  territory  into  five  military  districts.  In 
each  the  district  commander  was  to  register  those  who  could 
take  an  oath  that  they  had  taken  no  part  in  the  recent  war 
against  the  United  States.  This  admitted  the  negroes  and 
excluded  nearly  the  entire  body  of  whites.  Delegates  chosen 
by  these  registered  voters  were  to  frame  new  constitutions  in 
the  several  States. 

Under  this  system  governments  composed  of  negroes  and 
whiu  s  from  the  North  were  established  in  Alabama,  Arkan- 
sas, Florida,  Georgia,  Louisiana,  North  and  South  Carolina, 
and  those  States  were,  at  last,  in  1868,  recognized  as  States 
and  allowed  a  representation  in  Congress. 

The  employment  of  military  power  in  the  South  led  to 
new  trouble.  The  action  of  General  Sherman  in  Louisiana 
especially  excited  the  censure  of  the  President.  This  led  to 
a  breach  between  the  executive  and  ^Ir.  Stanton,  whom  he 
had  retained  as  Secretary  of  War.  The  President  requested 
him  to  resign,  and  w^hen  Stanton  refused,  he  appointed  Gen- 
eral Grant  secretary  ad  interim.  Congress  had  already, 
to  prevent  the  President  from  interfering  with  its  schemes, 
passed  over  his  veto  the  tenure  of  ofiice  act,  by  which  the 
President  was  deprived  of  power  to  remove  officer's  without 
the  consent  of  the  Senate.  As  Johnson  had  never  a|)pointed 
Stanton,  he  maintained  that  the  law  did  not  apply  in  his 
case.  Grant  finally  yielded  up  the  office  to  Stanton,  whom 
the  Senate  virtually  restored  ;  but  the  President  again  dis- 
missed him  on  the  21st  of  February,  1868. 


Describe  the  Civil  Rights  Bill  and  the 
■  Fourteenth  Amendment. 
What  Ktep  did  Congress  take  in  regard 
to  the  Southern  States  ? 


In  what  States  were  new  governHients 

set  up  ? 

What  led  to  difficulties  between  the 
President  and  the  Secretary  of  War  ? 
What  was  the  Tenure  of  Office  Bill  ? 


TKIAL  OF  PKESIi)ENT  JOHNSOIT. 


The  House  of  Representatives  then  impeached  the  Presi- 
dent, and  he  was  brouglit  to  trial  before  the  Senate,  Salmon 
P.  Chase,  Chief-Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States,  presidino'.  It  was  the  first  time  such  a  case  had  been 
seen,  and  was  all  the  more  dangerous,  as,  in  the  difference 
of  opinion,  the  Senate,  the  very  body  which  had  shown  its 
hostility  to  the  President,  was  to  sit  as  his  judges.  The 
trial  began  on  the  30th  of  March,  and  resulted  in  the  ac- 
quittal of  the  President,  less  than  two-thirds  voting  for 
conviction.    Stanton  then  resigned. 

These  unfortunate  dissensions  led  to  great  troubles  and 
bitter  feeling  in  the  South,  but  in  the  North  there  was  a 
general  revival. 

During  the  year  1866  a  number  of  Irish  residents  in  the 
United  States,  sympathizing  with  the  revolutionary  move- 
ment in  Ireland,  headed  by  the  Fenians,  a  secret  society, 
made  attempts  to  invade  Canada  at  the  Niagara  River  and 
from  Northern  Vermont.  President  Johnson  issued  a  proc- 
lamation warning  all  against  any  such  illegal  conduct,  and 
troops  under  General  Meade  were  sent  to  the  frontier  to 
check  any  organized  bodies  of  men  from  crossing  the  border. 

On  the  1st  of  March,  1867,  Nebraska  was  admitted  as  a 
State,  and  in  the  same  year  the  large  territory  of  Alaska, 
the  most  northwesterly  part  of  the  continent,  was  purchased 
from  Russia  for  $7,200,000,  but  has  proved  to  be  an  acqui- 
sition of  very  doubtful  value. 

In  the  Presidential  election  of  1868,  General  Grant  was 
nominated  for  tlie  Presidency  by  the  Republican  party,  with 
Mr.  Colfax  for  Vice-President ;  and  on  the  Democratic  side 
Horatio  Seymoui  and  Francis  P.  Blair  were  the  candidates. 
Three  States — Virginia,  Mississippi,  and  Texas — were  not 
permitted  to  take  part  in  the  election,  but  Grant  was  elected  by 
so  great  a  majority  that  their  vote  could  not  have  changed 
the  result.  He  received  214  votes,  and  his  opponent  only 
80. 

CHAPTER  LIV. 

ADMINISTRATION  OF  ULYSSES  S.  GRANT. 

General  Grant,  by  his  successful  military  career  at  Fort 
Donelson,  Chattanooga,  and  Richmond,  had  attained  a  re- 


Describe  the  impeachment  and  trial  of 

the  President. 
What  State  was  admitted  in  1867  ? 


What  territory  was  purchased  ? 
Who  were  the  Presidential  candidates 
in  1868? 


THE  ALABAMA  CLAIMS. 


4?3 


nown  unequalled  in  America.  He  came  to  the  Presidency 
with  a  strong  popular  feeling  in  his  favor  at  the  North,  and 
with  great  respect  fur  him  at  the  South.  As  a  soldier,  how- 
ever, he  preferred  military  power,  and  in  the  delicate  posi- 
tion of  affairs  at  the  South,  he  used  it  in  a  way  that  turned 
public  opinion  against  him  throughout  the  country  before 
the  close  of  his  second  term. 

During  his  administration  the  claims  of  the  United  States 
on  Great  Britain  were  finally  adjusted.  A  commission  was 
appointed  to  settle  them,  which  met  at  Geneva,  in  June,  1872, 
and  awarded  to  the  United  States  about  fifteen  millions  of 
dollars  for  the  acts  of  the  Alabama,  Florida,  and  Shenan- 
doah. It  was  but  a  small  amount  compared  to  the  injury 
caused  by  the  English  recognition  of  the  South  as  belliger- 
ents, but  it  was  a  great  point  gained  to  induce  England  to 
admit  wrong  and  repair  it. 

The  completion  of  the  Central  and  Union  Pacific  railroads 
in  1869  was  important  in  binding  more  closely  together 
the  States  on  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific,  and  opening  access  to 
the  great  mining  regions.  Before  this,  trade  with  the  Pa- 
cific States  was  carried  on  mainly  by  way  of  Panama,  so 
that  the  people  of  the  United  States  had  to  cross  a  for- 
eign Sfate  when  going  from  one  part  of  the  country  to 
another. 

On  the  30th  of  March,  1870,  Piesident  Grant,  by  procla- 
mation, announced  the  adoption  of  the  fifteenth  amendment 
of  the  Constitution,  which  invests  with  the  right  of  suffrage 
all  adult  males  born  in  the  country,  without  regard  to  race, 
color,  or  previous  condition  of  servitude. 

A  project  was  set  on  foot  about  this  time  for  annexing  to 
the  United  States  the  republic  of  Santo  Domingo.  It  was 
greatly  favored  by  General  Grant,  but  public  opinion  was 
not  favorable,  and  it  was  finally  abandoned. 

In  October,  1871,  one  of  the  greatest  conflagrations  in  the 
history  of  the  United  States  occurred  at  Chicago.  A  great 
portion  of  the  city  was  swept  away,  and  the  loss  of  property 
was  estimated  at  nearly  three  hundred  millions  of  dollars. 
Relief  was  sent  from  all  parts  of  the  country  to  aid  the 
homeless,  and  enable  thousands  to  leave  the  ruins  of  their 
prosperous  industry  and  residence. 


How  was  General  Grant  regarded  ? 

What  power  did  he  use  unduly  ? 

What  claims  were  settled  under  his 
administration  ? 

Wliat  Important  railroads  were  com- 
pleted ? 

40 


When  was  the  Fifteenth  Amendment 

finally  adopted  ? 
What  Republic  did  General  Grant  wish 

to  acquire  ? 
Describe  the  Chicago  Are. 


m 


THE  MODOC  WAS. 


During  tlie  same  year  the  naval  forces  of  tLe  United 
States  became  involved  with  Corea.  Admiral  John  Rodgers, 
when  attempting  to  land  on  the  coast  of  that  country  some 
wrecked  Coreans,  was  fired  upon.  In  retaliation  he  attacked 
and  captured  several  ^»atteries,  in  July,  1871. 

Another  Presidential  election  took'^place  in  the  year  1872, 
President  Grant's  policy  had  alienated  many  of  his  own 
party,  who  put  forward  Horace  Greeley  as  their  candidate. 
The  Democrats,  instead  of  nonnnating  one  of  their  ow^n 
party,  adopted  Mr.  Greeley;  but  Giant  as  President,  and  Wil- 
son as  Vice-President,  received  286  votes,  only  66  being 
given  for  Greeley,  who  died  before  the  action  of  the  electors. 
Tlie  votes  of  Louisiana  and  Arkansas  were  not  counted. 

Tlie  struggle  between  the  paities  in  the  South  resulted, 
early  in  1873,  in  serious  fighting  in  New  Orleans,  which 
was  repressed  by  the  aimy;  but  it  was  evident  that  the  system 
imposed  on  the  people  could  be  maintained  only  by  force. 

An  Indian  war  broke  out  also  in  Northern  California, 
arising  from  the  government  attempt  to  lemove  the  Modoc 
Indians  from  their  ancestral  homes  to  a  reservation.  Under 
a  chief  known  as  Captain  Jack  they  fled  to  the  Lava  Beds, 
a  difiBcult  country  in  which  troops  could  scarcely  penetrate. 
But  the  troops  pushed  in,  and  at  last  the  Modocs  agreed  to 
meet  commissioners,  but  when  they  met,  the  Indians  killed 
General  Can  by  and  several  others  (April  1st).  Hostilities 
were  then  renewed,  and  Captain  Jack  and  his  forces  cap- 
tured. The  treacherous  chief,  and  others  equally  guilty,  w^ere 
tried  and  executed. 

This  year  had  also  a  foreign  complication.  The  people 
of  Cuba  had  for  some  years  been  struggling  to  throw  off' the 
oppressive  yoke  of  Spain  ;  and  the  Spanish  v^^ar  vessels  were 
on  the  alert  to  prevent  the  landing  of  arms  and  supplies 
from  the  United  States.  On  the  31st  of  October,  1873,  the 
Spanish  war  steamer  Tornado  seized  the  Virginius,  an  Amer- 
ican vessel,  and  carried  her  into  the  port  of  Santiago  de 
Cuba,  where  the  captain  and  several  other  American  citi- 
zens were  tried  by  a  military  court  and  executed.  Great 
excitement  was  caused  throughout  the  United  States  at  this 
barbarous  act,  and  the  Spanish  government,  in-  December, 
restored  the  vessel,  and  subsequently  paid  eight}"  thoiisancl 
dollars  as  indemnity  to  the  families  of  its  victims. 


What  trouble  occurred  with  Corea  ? 
W^ho  were  the  candidates  in  1872  ? 
Where  did  troubles  ensue  ? 


What  was  the  cause  and  result  of  the 

Modoc  war  ? 
What  was  the  Virginius  affair  ? 


DEATH  OP  GENERAL  CUSTER. 


475 


Ihe  Louisiana  troubles  revived  in  1874  during  an  election 
for  Governor.  McEnery  claimed  to  have  been  elected  by 
the  people,  but  Kellogg  bad  the  support  of  the  Federal  gov- 
ernment. McEnery  called  out  the  militia  of  the  State  to 
maintain  his  authority,  and  Kellogg  yielded ;  but  General 
Grant  espoused  his  cause,  issued  a  proclamation  and  sent 
General  Sheridan  to  Louisiana.  Kellogg  was  reinstated  by 
force  of  arms,  and  in  the  following  year  five  obnoxious  mem- 
bers of  the  State  legislature  were  removed  from  the  hall  by 
United  States  troops. 

In  March,  1875,  Colorado  was  admitted  as  the  thirty- 
eighth  State  of  the  Union. 

The  country  at  this  time  was  suffering  from  great  finan- 
cial distress,  and  a  bill  was  passed  to  resume  specie  payments 
on  the  1st  of  January,  1879. 

The  year  1876,  which  closed  the  first;  hundred  years  of 
national  existence  was  looked  forward  to  with  great  hope, 
and  preparations  were  made  for  celebrating  it  by  a  great 
exhibition  of  the  industry  of  all  nations  at  Philadelphia, 
where  a  series  of  splendid  buildings  were  erected  in  Fair- 
mount  Park.  It  was  formally  opened  in  May,  and  was 
visited  by  thousands  from  all  parts  of  the  country. 

Great  corruption  had  at  this  time  grown  up  in  all  branches 
of  the  public  service,  and  General  Belknap,  Secretary  of 
War,  was  impeached  and  tried  for  malfeasance  and  corrup- 
tion in  office. 

The  war  with  the  Sioux  Indians,  which  has  been  fre- 
quently renewed,  broke  out  again  in  1876,  and  was  signalized 
by  a  terrible  reverse,  General  Custer,  with  most  of  his 
force,  having  been  cut  to  pieces  by  the  Indians  on  the  Little 
Horn  River,  Montana,  on  the  25th  of  June. 

In  the  Republican  convention  Rutherford  B.  Hayes  was 
nominated  for  President,  and  Samuel  J.  Tilden  was  put  for- 
ward by  the  Democrats  for  that  high  office.  The  election 
was  an  extremely  close  one,  and  the  returns  from  Florida  and 
Louisiana  were  disputed  on  the  ground  of  fraud.  Congress 
was  unable  to  reach  a  decision,  and  an  electoral  commission 
was  appointed,  composed  of  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  United  States.  Under  its  decision  Mr.  Hayes  became 
President,  receiving  185  votes,  one  more  than  were  allowed 
to  Mr.  Tilden. 


Describe  the  troubles  in  Louisiana. 
How  was  the  centennial  year  cele- 
brated ? 

Describe  the  Sioux  war  of  1870. 


Who  were  the  Presidential  candidatei 

in  1876  ? 
How  the  vote  finally  counted  ? 
Who  was  declared  President  ? 


BAILBOAD  STBIKES. 


CHAPTER  LV. 

ADMINISTRATION  OF  RUTHERFORD  B.  HATES. 

The  administration  of  Mr.  Hayes  was  marked  by  retrench- 
ment, and  a  check  was  put  to  the  corruption  that  had  grown 
up.  He  endeavored  to  advance  the  civil  service  system, 
under  which  offices  should  be  given  to  the  competent  and 
deserving,  and  not  lavished  as  reward  for  partisan  services, 
but  the  influence  of  politicians  was  strongly  against  any 
reform. 

In  Southern  affairs,  Mr.  Hayes  was  averse  to  the  use  of 
the  military  power  of  the  United  States  in  controlling  State 
governments.  This  removed  a  great  cause  of  irritation 
throughout  the  South,  and  gave  an  impulse  to  improve- 
ments of  all  kinds. 

The  decline  of  values  in  all  parts  of  the  country,  as  the 
time  for  resumption  of  specie  payment  approached,  caused 
great  distress.  Wages  were  lowered  and  thousands  were 
thrown  out  of  employment.  In  the  summer  of  1877  a  great 
strike  of  men  engaged  by  the  railroad  companies  stopped 
for  a  time  all  transportation  of  passengers  and  goods  on 
many  roads,  and  filled  the  country  with  alarm.  Riots  oc- 
curred at  Reading,  Scranton,  Pittsburgh,  Chicago,  and  St. 
Louis.  At  Pittsburgh  the  rioters  destroyed  property  to  the 
amount  of  several  millions  of  dollars. 

As  a  majority  in  Congress  was  elected  by  the  Democrats, 
there  were,  during  this  administration,  many  cases  of  disa- 
greement between  Congress  and  the  executive,  so  that  Presi- 
dent Hayes  vetoed  several  bills,  and  in  1879  called  an  extra 
session  of  Congress  to  pass  the  annual  appropriation  bills. 

During  the  years  1878  and  1879,  the  lower  Mississippi 
valley  was  ravaged  by  yellow-fever,  and  great  numbers  per- 
ished with  that  disease  in  New  Orleans,  Vicksbiirg,  Memphis, 
and  smaller  places,  although  the  Howard  Associations  as 
well  as  clergymen  and  sisterhoods  nobly  devoted  themselves 
to  relieve  ihe  sick. 

During  this  administration  the  great  increase  of  Chinese 
in  California,  with  their  heathen  customs  and  contagions  dis- 
eases, excited  alarm,  and  a  political  organization  was  formed 
against  them.  Laws  were  passed  in  California  to  prevent 
the  further  immigration  of  natives  of  China,  and  a  bill  for 


Wliat  afflicted  the  Mississippi  valley  ?  I  What  was  the  anti  -  Chinese  mov«' 

I    ment  ? 


GARFIELD,  ARTIIU^.  A:N"D  CLEVELAND.  477 

the  same  purpose  passed  Congress,  but  Hayes  vetoed  it. 


CHAPTER  LVI. 

GARFIELD  AND  ARTHUR. 

In  the  Presidential  contest  for  1880,  James  A.  Garfield 
and  Chester  A.  Arthur  were  respectively  elected  Presi- 
dent and  Vice-President .  James  A.  Garfield  was  duly 
inaugurated  March  4,  1881. 

Before  he  had  time  to  exorcise  many  of  the  functions 
of  his  high  office,  he  was  sliot  by  Charles  J.  Guiteau,  in 
Washington  City,  July  2,  1881.  He  died  at  Elberon,  at 
K  J.,  at  10:35  p.  h.  Sept.  19,  1881.  Chester  A.  Arthur, 
on  being  informed  by  telegraph,  from  the  Cabinet,  of 
the  death  of  President  Garfield,  immediately  took  the 
oath  of  office  in  New  York  City.  He  again  took  the 
oath  in  Washington  City,  two  days  after,  Sept.  22,  1881, 
at  noon. 

President  Arthur,  though  called  so  unexpectedly  to 
the  high  position,  acquitted  himself  admirably,  and  few 
Presidents  have  left  the  chair  with  a  more  faultless 
record. 


CHAPTER  LVII. 

ELECTION  AND  ADMINISTRATION  OF  GROVER  CLEVELAND. 

Ill  Nov.  1884,  Grover  Cleveland,  Governor  of  New 
York,  and  Thomas  A.  Hendricks,  of  Indiana,  Democrats, 
were  elected  President  and  Vice-President  of  tlie  United 
States,  over  James  G.  Blaine,  and  John  A.  Logan,  Ee- 
publicans.  Large  numbers  of  "Independent^^  Republi- 
cans voted  for  the  Democratic  candidates,  who  had  ex- 
pressed a  determination  to  carry  on  the  government 
"strictly  for  the  benefit  of  the  governed.'^  Soon  after 
his  inauguration,  President  Cleveland  made  the  follow- 
ing appointments:  Secretary  of  State,  Bayard;  Secre- 
tary of  Treasury,  Manning;  Secretary  of  Navy, Whitney; 
Secretary  of  Interior,  Lamar;  Post-Master-General,  Vilas; 
Attorney-General,  Garland  The  Cabinet  was  approved 
of  by  the  Senate,  and  the  Democratic  Administration 
promptly  began  managing  the  Government. 


APPENDIX. 


DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE. 

JULY  4,  1776. 

I  Disclaratt:m  by  the  Representatives  of  the  United  States  of  America  «V. 
Congress  assembled. 

Whcit,  in  the  course  of  human  evrnts,  it  becomes  nccessKiy  for  one 
'>eople  to  dissolve  the  political  bands  which  have  connected  Ihem  ^ith 
another,  and  to  assume,  among  the  powers  of  the  earth,  the  separate  ana 
equal  station  to  which  the  laws  of  nature  and  of  nature's  God  entitle  them, 
i\  decent  respect  to  the  opinions  of  mankind  requires  that  they  should  declare 
the  causes  which  impel  them  to  the  separation. 

We  hold  these  truths  to  be  self-evident: — that  all  men  are  created  equal j 
that  they  are  endowed  by  their  Creator  with  certain  unalienable  rights  j 
thi-t  among  these  are  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness;  that  to 
secure  these  rights,  governments  are  instituted  among  men,  deriving  tneii 
just  powers  from  the  consent  of  the  governed ;  that  whenever  any  form  of 
government  becomes  destructive  of  these  ends,  it  is  the  right  of  the  people  tc 
alter  or  to  abolish  it,  and  to  institute  new  government,  laying  its  foundation 
on  such  principles,  and  organizing  its  powers  in  such  forms,  as  to  them  shall 
seem  most  likely  to  effect  their  safety  and  happiness.  Prudence,  indeed, 
will  dictate,  that  governments  long  established  should  not  be  changed  for 
light  and  transient  causes  :  and  accordingly  all  experience  hath  shown,  that 
mankind  are  more  disposed  to  suffer  while  evils  are  sufferable,  than  to  right 
themselves  by  abolishing  the  forms  to  which  they  are  accustomed.  But 
when  a  long  train  of  abuses  and  usurpations,  pursuing  invariably  the  same 
object,  evinces  a  design  to  reduce  them  under  absolute  despotism,  it  is  their 
right,  it  is  their  duty,  to  throw  off  such  government,  and  to  provide  new 
guards  for  their  future  security.  Such  has  been  the  patient  sufferance  of 
these  colonies;  and  such  is  now  the  necessity  which  constrains  tnem  to 
alter  their  former  systems  of  government.  The  history  of  the  present  king 
of  Great  Britain  is  a  history  of  repeated  injuries  and  usurpations,  all  having 
in  direct  object  the  establishment  of  an  absolute  tyranny  over  these  states. 
To  prove  this,  let  facts  be  submitted  to  a  candid  world. 

He  has  refused  his  assent  to  laws  the  most  wholesome  and  necessary  for 
the  public  good. 

He  has  forbidden  his  governors  to  pass  laws  of  immediate  and  pressing 
importance,  unless  suspended  in  their  operation,  till  his  assent  should  b* 
obtained;  and  when  so  suspended,  he  has  utterly  nesriccted  to  attend  tj 
them.  He  has  refused  to  pass  other  laws  for  the  accommodation  of  large 
districts  of  people,  unless  those  people  would  relinquish  the  right  of  repre 
sentation  in  the  legislature;  a  right  inestimable  to  them,  and  formidable  tc 
tyrants  only. 

He  has  called  together  legislative  bodies  at  places  unusual,  uncomfortable 
and  distant  from  the  depository  of  their  public  records,  for  the  sole  purpose 
of  fatiguing  them  into  compliance  with  his  measures. 

He  has  dissolved  representative  houses  repeatedl}',  for  opposing,  with 
nanly  firmness,  his  invasions  on  the  rights  of  the  people. 
He  has  refused,  for  a  long  time  after  such  dissolutions,  to  cause  others  to 
ected  ;  whereby  the  legislative  powers,  incapable  of  annihilation,  hav€ 
oed  to  the  people  at  large,  fcjr  their  exercise ;  the  state  remainiDg,  ir 

478 


APPENDIX. 


Am  Meaa  time,  exposed  to  all  the  dangers  of  invasion  from  without,  and 
eonvnlftioM  within. 

He  liJLs  hiideavoured  to  prevent  the  population  of  these  states ;  for  that 
purpose  obstructing  the  laws  for  naturalization  of  foreigners;  infusing  to 
pass  others  to  encourage  their  migrations  hither,  and  raising  the  conditions 
of  new  appropriations  of  lands. 

He  has  obstructed  the  administration  of  justice,  by  refusing  his  &ssent  to 
laws  for  establishing  judiciary  powers. 

He  has  made  judges  dependent  on  his  will  alone,  for  the  tenure  of  theii 
offices,  and  the  amount  and  payment  of  their  salaries. 

He  has  erected  a  multitude  of  new  offices,  and  sent  hither  swarms  of 
officer",  to  harass  our  people,  and  to  eat  out  their  substance. 

He  has  kept  among  us,  in  times  of  peace,  standing  armies,  without  the 
consent  of  our  legislatures. 

He  has  affected  to  render  the  military  independent  of,  and  superior  to 
the  civil  power. 

He  has  combined  with  others  to  subject  us  to  a  jurisdiction  foreign  to  am 
constitutions,  and  unacknowledged  by  our  laws ;  giving  his  assent  to  theii 
acts  of  pretended  legislation. 

For  quartering  large  bodies  of  armed  troops  among  us : 

For  protecting  them,  by  a  mock  trial,  from  punishment  for  any  murden 
which  they  should  commit  on  the  inhabitants  of  these  states  t 

For  cutting  off  our  trade  with  all  parts  of  the  world : 

For  imposing  taxes  on  us  without  our  consent: 

For  depriving  us,  in  many  cases,  of  the  benefits  of  trial  by  jury: 

For  transporting  us  beyond  seas  to  be  tried  for  pretended  offences : 

For  abolishing  the  free  system  of  English  laws  in  a  neighbouring  pro- 
vince, establishing  therein  an  arbitrary  government,  and  enlarging  itf 
boundaries,  so  as  to  render  it  at  once  an  example  and  fit  instrument  for 
introducing  the  same  absolute  rule  into  these  colonies  : 

For  taking  away  our  charters,  abolishing  our  most  valuable  laws,  and 
altering,  fundamentally,  the  forms  of  our  governments : 

For  suspending  our  own  legislatureo,  and  declaring  themselves  invested 
with  power  to  legislate  for  us  in  all  cases  whatsoever. 

He  has  abdicated  government  here,  by  declaring  us  out  of  his  protection, 
and  \raging  war  against  us. 

He  has  plundered  our  seas,  ravaged  our  coasts,  burnt  our  towns,  and 
destroyed  the  lives  of  our  people. 

He  is,  at  this  time,  transporting  large  armies  of  foreign  mercenaries  to 
complete  the  works  of  death,  desolation,  and  tyranny,  already  begun  with 
circumstances  of  cruelty  and  perfidy,  scarcely  paralleled  in  the  most 
barbarous  ages,  and  totally  unworthy  the  head  of  a  civilized  nation. 

He  has  constrained  our  fellow  citizens,  taken  captive  on  the  high  seas,  to 
bear  arms  against  their  country,  to  become  the  executioners  of  their  friends 
and  brethren,  or  to  fall  themselves  by  their  hands. 

He  has  excited  domestic  insurrections  amongst  us,  and  has  endeavoured  to 
bring  on  the  inhabitants  of  our  frontiers  the  merciless  Indian  savages,  whose 
imown  rule  of  warfare  is  an  undistinguished  destruction  of  all  ages,  sexes, 
and  conditions. 

In  every  stage  of  these  oppressions,  we  have  petitioned  for  redress  in  tiicj 
aaost  humble  terms:  our  repeated  petitions  have  been  answered  only  by 
repeated  injury.  A  prince,  whose  character  is  thus  marked  by  every  act 
which  may  define  a  tyrant,  is  unfit  to  be  the  ruler  of  a  free  people. 

Nor  have  we  been  wanting  in  attentions  to  our  British  brethren.  Wt 
have  warned  them,  from  time  to  time,  of  attempts  by  their  legislature  to 
extend  an  unwarrantable  jurisdiction  over  us.  We  have  reminded  them  of 
the  circumstances  of  our  emigration  and  settlement  here.  We  have  appealed 
to  their  native  justice  and  magnanimity ;  and  we  have  conjure<i  them,  by 
the  ties  of  our  common  kindred,  to  disavow  these  usurpations,  which  wouW 
cDevitabl>  interrupt  our  connexior  s  and  correspondence.    They,  too,  aavi 


480 


APPENDIX. 


been  deaf  to  the  voice  of  justice  and  of  consanguinity.    Wc  must,  therefoii^ 

acquiesce  in  the  necessity  which  denounces  our  separation,  and  hold  them, 
we  hold  tl  e  rest  of  mankind,  enemies  in  war;  in  peace,  friends. 
We,  therefore,  the  Representatives  of  the  United  States  of  America,  h 
Geaeral  Congress  assembled,  appealing  to  the  Supreme  Judge  of  the  worlA 
for  the  rectitude  of  our  intentions,  do,  in  the  name  and  by  the  authority  of 
the  good  people  of  these  colonies,  solemnly  publish  and  declare,  That  these 
TInited  Colonies  are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be,  1*kee  and  Independeht 
States;  that  they  are  absolved  from  all  allegiance  to  the  British  crown, 
and  that  all  political  connexion  between  them  and  the  state  of  Great  Britain 
ir*,  and  ought  to  be.  totally  dissolved;  and  that,  as  free  and  independent 
states,  they  have  full  power  to  levy  war,  conclude  peace,  contract  aliiancei, 
establish  commerce,  and  to  do  all  other  acts  and  things  which  independent 
states  may  of  right  do.  Aad  for  the  support  of  this  declaration,  with  a  fiim 
reliance  on  the  protection  of  Divine  Providence,  we  mutually  pledge  to 
each  other  our  lives,  our  fortunes,  and  our  sacred  honour. 

JOHN  HANCOCK,  lEc 


CONSTITOTION  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


We,  the  people  of  the  United  States,  in  order  to  form  a  more  perfect 
union,  establish  justice,  ensure  domestic  tranquillity,  provide  for  the  common 
defence,  promote  the  general  welfare,  and  secure  the  blessings  of  liberty  to 
ourselves  and  our  posterity,  do  ordain  and  establish  this  Constitution  of  thi 
United  States  of  America. 

ARTICLE  I. 

Sect.  I. — All  legislative  powers  herein  granted,  shall  be  vested  in  % 
congress  of  the  United  States,  which  shall  consist  of  a  senate  and  house  of 
representatives. 

Sect.  II. — 1.  The  house  of  representatives  shall  be  composed  of  members 
chosen  every  second  year,  by  the  people  of  the  several  states;  and  th« 
electors  in  each  state  shall  have  the  qualifications  requisite  for  electors  Oi 
the  most  numerous  branch  of  the  state  legislature. 

2.  No  person  shall  be  a  representative  who  shall  not  have  attained  the 
age  of  twenty-five  years,  and  been  seven  years  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States,  and  who  shall  not,  when  elected,  be  an  inhabitant  of  the  state  in 
which  he  shall  be  chosen. 

3.  Representatives  and  direct  taxes  shall  be  apportioned  among  tha 
•everal  states  which  may  be  included  within  this  Union,  according  to  their 
respective  numbers,  which  shall  be  determined  by  adding  to  the  whole 
number  of  free  persons,  including  those  bound  to  service  for  a  term  of  yearly 
and  excluding  Indians  not  taxed,  three-fifths  of  all  other  persons.  The 
actual  enumeratior  shall  be  made  within  three  years  after  the  first  meeting 
of  the  congress  of  the  United  States,  and  within  every  subsequent  term  of 
ten  years,  in  su^h  manner  as  they  shall  by  law  direct.  The  numoer 
of  representative 3  shall  not  exceed  one  for  every  thirty  thousand,  but  each 
ctate  shall  have  at  leas*^  one  representative:  and  until  such  enumeration 
shall  be  made,  iNe  state  of  New  Hampshire  shall  be  entitled  to  choose  three 
Massachusetts f  eight;  Rhode  Island  and  Providence  Plantations,  one 
Cmnecticut^  fiie ;  New  Yorky  six ;  New  Jersey ,  four;  Pennsylvania,  ei|^t| 
IMaware,  one;  Maryland,  six;  Virginia,  ten;  North  Caroling  firei 
99utk  Carolin^^  6 ;  and  Georgia ^  three 


APPENDIX. 


<3,  When  racancies  happen  in  the  representation  from  any  atate,  the  e*w- 
.  ative  authority  thereof  shall  issue  writs  of  election  to  fill  iuch  vacancies. 

5.  The  house  of  repiesentatives  shall  choose  their  s];eaker  and  othet 
officers  and  shall  have  the  sole  power  of  impeachment. 

Sect.  III. — 1.  The  senate  of  the  United  States  shall  he  composed  of  two 
senators  from  each  state,  chosen  hy  the  legislature  thereof,  for  six  years  i 
and  each  senator  shall  have  one  vote. 

2.  Immediately  after  they  shall  be  assembled,  in  consequence  of  the  fiiirt 
election,  they  shall  be  divided,  as  equally  as  may  be,  into  three  classes. 
The  seats  of  tne  senators  of  the  first  class  shall  be  vacated  at  the  expiration 
jf  the  second  year ;  of  the  second  class,  at  the  expiration  of  the  fourth  year 
and  of  the  third  class,  at  the  expiration  of  the  sixth  year ;  so  that  one-thii^ 
may  be  chosen  every  second  year  ;  and  if  vacancies  happen  by  resignation 
or  otherwise,  during  the  recess  of  the  legislature  of  any  state,  the  executive 
thereof  may  make  temporary  appointments  until  the  next  meeting  of  the 
le^slature,  which  shall  then  fill  such  vacancies. 

3.  No  person  shall  be  a  senator  who  shall  not  have  attained  to  the  age  of 
thirty  years,  and  been  nine  years  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  and  who 
•hall  not,  when  elected,  be  an  inhabitant  of  that  state  for  which  he  shall 
be  chosen. 

4.  The  vice-president  of  the  United  States  shall  be  president  oi  thf 
senate,  but  shall  have  no  vote,  unless  they  be  equally  divided. 

6.  The  senate  shall  choose  their  other  officers,  and  also  a  president  pro 
tempore,  in  the  absence  of  the  vice-president,  or  when  he  shall  exercise  thi 
office  of  president  of  the  United  States. 

6.  The  senate  shall  have  the  sole  power  to  try  all  impeachments.  When 
tiitting  for  that  purpose,  they  shall  be  on  oath  or  affirmation.  When  the 
president  of  the  United  States  is  tried,  the  chief  justice  shall  preside ;  and 
BO  person  shall  be  convicted  without  the  concurrence  of  two  thirds  of  the 
Members  present 

7.  Judgment,  in  eases  of  impeachment,  shall  cot  extend  farther  thm 
removal  from  office,  and  disqualification  to  hold  and  enjoy  any  office  of 
honour,  trust,  or  profit,  under  the  United  States ;  but  the  party  convicted 
shall,  nevertheless,  be  liable  and  subject  to  indictment,  trial,  judgment,  and 
punishment  according  to  law. 

Sect.  IV. — 1.  The  times,  place j,  and  manner  of  holding  elections  foi 
senators  and  representatives,  shall  be  prescribed  in  each  state  by  the  legis- 
lature thereof;  but  the  congress  may  at  any  time  by  law  make  or  alter  such 
regulations,  except  as  to  the  places  of  choosing  senators. 

2.  The  congress  shall  assemble  at  least  once  in  every  year;  and  such 
meeting  shall  be  on  the  first  Monday  in  December,  unless  they  shall  by  law 
appoint  a  different  day. 

Sect.  V. — 1.  Each  house  shall  be  judge  of  the  elections,  returns,  and 
qualifications  of  its  own  members ;  and  a  majority  of  each  shall  constitute  a 
qvorum  to  do  business ;  but  a  smaller  number  may  adjourn  from  day  to  day, 
u;d  may  be  authorized  to  compel  the  attendance  of  absent  members,  in  8ue<i 
manner,  and  under  such  penalties,  as  each  house  may  provide. 

2.  Each  house  may  determine  the  rules  of  its  proceedings,  punisn  iti 
members  for  disorderly  behaviour,  ant^  with  the  concurrence  ol  two-thirdS| 
expel  a  member. 

3.  Each  house  shall  keep  a  journal  of  its  prooeedings,  and  from  time  to 
time  publish  the  same,  excepting  such  parts  as  maji  in  their  judgment, 
require  secrecy ;  and  the  yeas  and  nays  of  the  members  of  <*ither  house,  (m 
any  question,  shall,  at  the  desire  of  one-fifth  of  those  present,  be  entered  o» 
the  journal. 

4.  Neither  house,  during  the  session  of  congress,  shall,  without  ^ 
eonsent  of  the  other,  adjourn  for  more  than  thre<j  days,  nor  to  any  othf 
place  than  that  in  which  the  two  houses  shall  be  sit  ting. 

8xcT.  VL — 1.  The  senators  and  representatives  shall  receive  a  cempenn^ 
fyr  their  senrieee,  to  be  ascertained  by  law,  an''  i^d  out  o«  the  treaov^ 

99 


APPENDIX 


tbte  United  States.    They  shall,  in  all  cases,  except  tie-<tBvii,  xw^mj,  adt 
oreach  of  the  peace,  be  privileged  from  arrest,  during  their  attendance 
the  session  of  their  respective  houses  ^nd  in  going  to  and  returning  from 
the  same ;  and  for  any  speech  or  debate  in  either  house,  tliey  shall  not  tM 
questioned  in  any  other  place. 

2.  No  senator  or  representative  shall,  during  the  time  for  which  he  wai 
elected,  be  appointed  to  any  civil  office  under  the  authority  of  the  United 
States,  which  shall  have  been  created,  or  the  emoluments  whereof  shall 
have  been  increased,  during  such  time ;  and  no  person  holding  any  office 
onder  the  Unitci'.  States,  shall  be  a  member  of  either  house  during  hii 
continuance  in  office. 

Sect.  VII.-  All  bills  for  raising  revenue  shall  originate  in  the  house 
of  representatives ;  but  the  senate  may  propose  or  concur  with  amendment!, 
M  on  other  bills. 

2.  Every  bill,  which  shall  have  passed  the  house  of  representatives  and 
the  senate,  shall,  before  it  becomes  a  law,  be  presented  to  the  president  of 
♦he  United  States:  if  he  approves,  he  shall  sign  it;  but  if  not,  he  shall 
return  it  with  his  objections  to  that  house  in  which  it  shall  have  originated, 
who  shall  enter  the  objections  at  large  on  their  journal,  and  proceed  to 
reconsider  it.  If,  after  such  reconsideration,  two-thirds  of  that  house  shall 
agree  to  pass  the  bill,  it  shall  be  sent,  together  with  the  objections,  to  the 
other  house,  by  which  it  shall  likewise  be  reconsidered ;  and  if  approved  by 
two-thirds  of  that  house,  it  shall  becc.ne  a  law.  But  in  all  such  cases,  the 
votes  of  both  houses  shall  be  determined  by  yeas  and  nays ;  and  the  names 
ef  the  persons  voting  for  and  against  the  bill  shall  be  entered  on  the  journal 
of  each  house  respectively.  If  any  bill  shall  not  be  returned  by  the  presi- 
dent within  ten  days  (Sundays  excepted)  after  it  shall  have  been  presented 
to  him,  the  same  shall  be  a  law  in  like  manner  as  if  he  had  signed  it,  unless 
the  congress,  by  their  adjournment,  prevent  its  return  j  in  which  case,  it 
•hall  not  be  a  law. 

3.  Every  order,  resolution,  or  vote,  to  which  the  concurrence  of  the 
senate  and  house  of  representatives  may  be  necessary,  (except  on  a  question 
of  adjournment,)  shall  be  presented  to  the  president  of  the  United  States  j 
and,  before  the  same  shall  take  effect,  shall  be  approved  by  him,  or,  being 
disapproved  by  him,  shall  be  ref  assed  by  two-thirds  of  the  senate  and  house 
of  representatives,  according  to  the  rules  and  limitations  prescribed  in  the 
case  of  a  bill. 

Sect.  VIII. — The  congress  shall  have  power — 

1.  To  lay  and  collect  tax»?s,  duties,  imposts,  and  excises ;  to  pay  the 
iebts,  and  provide  for  the  common  defence  and  general  welfare  of  the 
United  States ;  but  all  duties,  imposts,  and  excises  shall  be  uniform  through- 
out the  United  States  t 

2.  To  borrow  money  on  the  dredit  of  the  United  States : 

3.  To  regulate  commerce  with  foreign  nations,  and  among  the  seyera^ 
states,  and  with  the  Indian  tribes : 

4.  To  establish  an  uniform  rule  of  naturalization,  and  uniform  laws  Ok 
tbe  subject  of  bankruptcies,  throughout  the  United  States : 

6.  To  coin  money,  regulate  the  value  thereof,  and  of  foreign  coia,  and 
the  standard  of  weights  and  measiuies : 

6.  To  provide  for  the  punishment  of  counterfeiting  the  securities  aai 
urrent  coin  of  the  United  States : 

7.  To  establish  post-offices  and  posi-roads  s 

8.  To  promote  the  progress  of  science  and  useful  arts  by  securing,  Im 
omited  times,  to  authors  and  inventors,  the  exclusive  right  to  their  respoc 
tive  writings  and  discoveries  i 

9.  To  constitute  tribunals  inferior  to  the  supreme  court  t  To  define  tnu 
punish  piracies  and  felonies  committed  on  the  high  seas,  and  ofience 
a^inst  the  law  of  nations  t 

10.  To  declare  war,  grant  letters  of  marque  wd  reprisai,  tnii  auk*  rwi 
meormiif  oapCures  on  land  aod  water) 


11.  1*0  raise  and  support  armies;  but  no  appropriation  of  money  to  th 
Ate  shall  be  for  a  longer  term  than  two  years  i 

12.  To  provide  and  maintain  a  navy: 

13.  To  make  rules  for  the  government  and  regulation  of  the  land  and 
oaval  forces : 

14.  To  provide  for  calling  forth  the  militia  to  execute  the  laws  of  the 
(Jnion,  suppress  insurrections,  and  repel  invasions : 

15.  To  provide  for  organizmg  arming,  and  disciplining  the  milida,  vtU 
for  governing  such  parts  of  them  as  may  be  employed  in  the  service  of  the 
United  States ;  reserving  to  the  states  respectively  the  appointment  of  the 
officers,  and  the  authority  of  training  the  militia,  according  to  the  discipline 
prescribed  by  congress : 

Id  To  exercise  exclusive  legislation,  in  all  cases  whatsoever,  over  swob 
district  (not  exceeding  ten  miles  square)  as  may,  by  cession  of  particulai 
states,  and  the  acceptance  of  congress,  become  the  seat  of  the  government 
of  the  United  States,  and  to  exercise  like  authority  over  all  places  purchased 
by  the  consent  oT  the  legislature  of  the  state  in  which  the  same  shall  be,  foi 
the  erection  of  forts,  magazines,  arsenals,  dock-yards,  and  other  needful 
buildings : — And, 

17.  To  make  all  laws  which  shall  be  necessary  and  proper,  for  carrying 
mto  eyecution  the  foregoing  powers,  and  all  other  powers  vested  by  this 
constitution  in  the  government  of  the  United  States,  or  in  any  department 
or  officer  thereof. 

Sect.  IX. — 1.  The  migration  or  importation  of  s  vh  persons  as  any  of  the 
states  now  existing  shall  think  proper  to  admit,  flail  not  be  prohibited  by 
the  congress  prior  to  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  eight ;  but  a 
tax  or  duty  may  be  imposed  on  such  importaticd  not  exceeding  ten  dollars 
for  each  person. 

2.  The  privilege  of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpv  j  ^ihall  not  be  suspended,  unlesf 
when,  in  cases  of  rebellion  or  invasion,  the  pr  olic  safety  may  require  it. 

3.  No  bill  of  attainder,  or  ex  post  facto  lat/,  shall  be  passed. 

4.  No  capitation,  or  other  direct  tax  shall  be  laid,  unless  in  proportion  te 
the  census  or  enumeration  herein  before  directed  to  be  taken. 

6.  No  tax  or  duty  shall  be  laid  on  articles  exported  from  any  state.  No 
preference  shall  be  given,  by  any  regulation  of  commerce  or  revenue,  to  the 
ports  of  one  state  over  those  of  another ;  nor  shall  vessels  bound  to  or  from 
one  state  be  obliged  to  enter,  clear,  or  pay  duties  in  another. 

6.  No  money  shall  be  drawn  from  the  treasury,  but  in  o  'sequence  of 
appropriations  made  by  law ;  and  a  regular  statement  and  account  of  the 
receipts  and  expenditures  of  all  public  money  shall  be  published  from  time 
to  time. 

7.  No  title  of  nobility  shall  be  granted  by  the  United  States;  and  no 
person  holding  any  office  of  profit  or  trust  under  them,  shall,  without  the 
eonsent  of  congress,  accept  of  any  present,  emolument,  office  or  title,  of  any 
kind  whatever,  from  any  king,  prince,  or  foreign  state. 

Sect.  X. —  1.  No  state  shall  enter  into  any  treaty,  alliance,  or  confedera- 
tion ;  grant  letters  of  marque  and  reprisal ;  coin  money,  emit  bills  of  credit  4 
make  any  thing  but  gold  and  silver  coin  a  tender  in  payment  of  debts ;  pats 
any  bill  of  attainder,  ex  post  facto  law,  or  law  impairing  the  obligation  of 
contracts  ;  or  grant  any  title  of  nobility. 

2.  No  state  shall,  without  the  consent  of  congress,  lay  any  imposts  Of 
duties  on  imports  or  exports,  except  what  may  be  absolutely  necessary  for 
txecuting  its  inspection  laws ;  and  the  net  produce  of  all  duties  and 
Imposts  laid  by  any  state  on  imports  or  exports,  shall  be  for  the  use  of  tb« 
treasury  of  the  United  States ;  and  all  such  laws  shall  be  subject  to  th« 
revision  and  controul  of  the  congress.  No  state  shall,  without  the  consent 
of  congress,  lay  ainy  duty  on  tonnage,  keep  troops  or  ships  of  war  in  time 
of  peace,  outer  into  any  agreement  or  compact  with  another  state,  ok*  mth 
«  foreign  power,  or  engage  in  war,  unless  actually  invaded,  or  m  iiwb 
vuiiDent  danger  as  will  not  admit  of  de/ay. 


484 


▲PFENDIX. 


ARTICLE  n. 

8ect.  I. — 1.  Tiie  executive  power  shall  be  vested  in  a  president  si  dM 
United  States  of  America.  He  shall  hold  his  office  during  the  term  >f  fotu 
jrearp,  and,  together  with  the  ^  ice-president,  chosen  for  the  same  term,  be 
elected  as  follows : 

2.  Each  state  shall  appoint,  in  such  a  manner  as  the  legislature  thereof 
may  direct,  a  number  of  electors,  equal  to  the  whole  number  of  senators  and 
representatives  to  which  the  state  may  be  entitled  in  the  congress ;  but  nr 
senator  or  representative,  or  person  holding  an  office  of  trust  or  profit  imdet 
the  United  States,  shall  be  appointed  an  elector. 

3.  [Annulled.    See  Amendments,  Art  12.] 

4.  The  congress  may  determine  the  time  of  choosing  the  electors,  and  the 
diy  on  which  they  shall  give  their  votes ;  which  day  shall  be  the  same 
throughout  the  United  States. 

5.  No  person  except  a  natural  born  citizen,  or  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States  at  the  time  of  the  adoption  of  this  constitution,  shall  be  eligible  to 
the  office  of  president ;  neither  shall  any  person  be  tligible  to  that  office 
who  Bhall  not  have  attained  to  the  age  of  thirty-five  years,  and  been 
6)arteen  years  a  resident  within  the  United  States. 

6.  In  case  of  the  removal  of  the  president  from  office,  or  of  his  death, 
resignation,  or  inability  to  dischaige  the  powers  and  duties  of  the  said  office, 
the  same  shall  devolve  on  the  vice-president ;  and  the  congress  may  by  law 
provide  for  the  case  of  removal,  death,  resignation,  or  inability,  both  of  the 
president  and  vice-president,  declaring  what  officer  shall  then  act  as  presi- 
dent ;  and  such  officer  shall  act  accordingly,  until  the  disability  be  removed, 
or  a  president  shall  be  elected. 

7.  The  president  shall,  at  stated  times,  receive  for  his  services  a  compen- 
sation which  shall  neither  be  increased  nor  diminished  during  the  pe  iod  foi 
which  he  shall  have  been  elected ;  and  he  shall  not  receive,  witl  in  that 
period,  any  other  emolument  from  the  United  States,  or  any  of  them . 

8.  Before  he  enter  on  the  execution  of  his  office,  he  shall  take  the 
following  oath  or  affirmation : 

9.  "I  do  solemnly  swear  [or  affirm]  that  I  will  faithfully  execute  the 
office  of  president  of  the  United  States,  and  will,  to  the  best  of  my  ability, 
preserve,  protect,  and  defend  the  constitution  of  the  United  States." 

Sect.  II. — 1.  The  president  shall  be  commander-in-chief  of  the  army  and 
navy  of  the  ignited  States,  and  of  the  militia  of  the  several  states,  when 
called  into  the  actual  service  of  the  United  States;  he  may  require  the 
opinion  in  writing  of  the  principal  officer  in  each  of  the  executive  depart- 
ments, upon  any  subject  relating  to  the  duties  of  their  respective  offices  i 
ftnd  he  shall  have  power  to  grant  reprieves  and  pardons  for  offences  against 
the  United  States,  except  in  cases  of  impeachment 

2,  He  »hall  have  power,  by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the 
nenate,  tu  ^nake  treaties,  provided  two-thirds  of  the  senators  present  concur  { 
ftnd  he  shall  nominate,  and  by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the 
ienate,  shall  appoint  ambassadors,  other  public  ministers,  and  consuls, 
judges  of  the  supreme  court,  and  all  other  officers  of  the  United  States^ 
whose  appointments  are  not  herein  otherwise  provided  for,  and  which  shall 
be  established  by  law.  But  the  congress  may  by  law  vest  the  appointment 
of  such  inferior  officers  as  they  think  proper,  in  the  president  alone,  in  the 
sourts  of  law,  or  in  the  heads  of  departments. 

3.  The  president  shall  have  power  to  fill  up  all  vacancies  that  may 
Happen  during  the  recess  of  the  senate,  by  granting  commissions  which 

hall  expire  at  the  end  of  their  next  session. 

Sect.  III. — He  shall  from  time  to  time  give  to  the  congress  information  of 
flie  state  of  the  Union,  and  recommend  to  their  consideration  such  measures 
A8  he  shall  judge  necessary  and  expedient ;  he  may,  on  extraordinary  occ«»» 
nons,  convene  both  houses,  or  either  of  them ;  and  in  case  of  disagreemeol 
Mtween  them,  with  "t^pact  to  the  time  of  adjouminent,  he  nugr  t4im% 


APPENDIX. 


Aem  to  such  time  as  he  shall  think  proper;  he  sha.T  rece  ve  ambassadon 
ind  other  public  ministers ;  he  shall  take  care  that  the  laws  be  faithfullj 
fxccuted  ;  and  shall  commissi'^n  all  the  officers  of  the  United  States. 

Sect.  IV. — The  president,  vice-president,  and  all  civil  officers  of  the 
United  States  shall  be  removed  from  office  on  impeachment  for,  and  convic- 
tion of,  treason,  bribery,  or  other  high  crimes  and  misdemeanours. 

ARTICLE  m. 

Sect.  I. — The  judicial  power  of  the  United  States  shall  be  vested  m  aie 
mpreme  court,  and  in  such  inferior  courts  as  the  congress  may  from  time  to 
time  ordain  and  establish.  The  judges,  both  of  the  supreme  and  inferior 
courts,  shall  hold  their  offices  during  good  behaviour,  and  shall,  at  stated 
times,  receive  for  their  services  a  compensation  which  shall  net  be 
diminished  during  their  continuance  in  office. 

Sect.  II. — 1.  The  judicial  power  shall  extend  to  all  cases  in  law  and  equity, 
msing  under  this  constitution,  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  and  treaties 
made,  or  which  shall  be  made,  under  their  authority ;  to  all  cases  affecting 
embassadors,  other  public  ministers,  and  consuls ;  to  all  cases  of  admiralty 
&nd  maritime  jurisdiction  ;  to  controversies  to  which  the  United  States  shaL 
De  a  party ;  to  controversies  between  two  or  more  states,  between  a  state 
and  citizens  of  another  state,  between  citizens  of  different  states,  between 
citizens  of  the  same  state  claiming  lands  under  grants  of  different  states, 
and  between  a  state  or  the  citizens  thereof,  and  foreign  states,  citizens,  or 
subjects. 

2.  In  all  cases  affecting  ambassadors,  other  public  ministers,  and  consuls, 
and  those  in  which  a  state  shall  be  a  party,  the  supreme  court  shall  have 
original  jurisdiction.  In  all  the  other  cases  before  mentioned,  the  supreme 
court  shall  have  appellate  jurisdiction,  both  as  to  law  and  fact,  with  such 
exceptions,  and  under  such  regulations,  as  the  congress  shall  make. 

3.  The  trial  of  all  crimes,  except  in  cases  of  impeachment,  shall  be  by 
jury ;  and  such  trial  shall  be  held  in  the  state  where  the  said  crimes  shall 
have  been  committed;  but  when  not  committed  with  any  state,  the  trial 
<hall  be  at  such  place  or  places  as  the  congress  may  by  law  have  directed. 

Sect.  III. — 1.  Treason  against  the  United  States  shall  consist  only  in 
levying  war  against  them,  or  in  adhering  to  their  enemies,  giving  them  aid 
And  comfort  No  person  shall  be  convicted  of  treason,  unless  on  the  testi- 
nony  of  two  witnesses  to  the  same  overt  act,  or  on  confession  in  open  court. 

2.  The  congress  shall  have  power  to  declare  the  punishment  of  treason ; 
but  no  attainder  of  treason  shall  work  corruption  of  blood,  or  forfeiture, 
except  during  the  life  of  the  person  attainted. 

ARTICLE  IV. 

Sect.  I. — Full  faith  and  credit  shall  be  given,  in  each  state,  to  the  pubUc 
acts,  records,  and  judicial  proceedings  of  every  other  state ;  and  the  congress 
may,  by  general  laws,  prescribe  the  manner  in  which  such  acts,  records,  and 
proceedings  shall  be  proved,  and  the  effect  thereof. 

Sect.  II. — 1.  The  citizens  of  each  state  shaP  be  entitled  to  all  the  privi- 
leges and  immunities  of  citizens  in  the  several  states. 

2.  A  person  charged  in  any  state  with  treason,  felony,  or  other  crime 
irho  shall  flee  from  justice,  and  be  found  in  another  state,  shall,  on  demaa 
of  the  executive  authority  of  the  state  from  which  he  fled,  be  delivered  up 
to  be  removed  tc  the  state  having  jurisdiction  of  the  crime. 

3.  No  person  held  to  service  or  labour  in  one  state,  under  the  laws  thereof 
escaping  into  another,  shall,  in  consequence  of  any  law  or  regulation  theiein^ 
be  (Uscharged  from  such  service  or  labour ;  but  shall  be  delivered  up,  o& 
claom  of  the  party  to  whom  such  service  or  labour  may  be  due. 

Sect.  III.— 1.  New  states  may  be  admitted  by  the  congress  into  thu 
Union ;  but  no  new  state  shall  be  formed  or  erected  within  the  jurisdiction 
o€  anj  othei  state,  nor  any  state  be  formed  by  the  junction  of  two  oi  moa 

39* 


486 


APPENDIX. 


Ktates,  or  parts  of  states,  without  the  consent  of  the  legislatuies     the  states 

eoncerned,  as  well  as  of  the  congress. 

2.  The  congresp  shall  have  power  to  dispose  of  and  make  all  needful  rules 
and  regulations  respecting  the  territory  or  other  proferty  belonging  to  the 
CTnited  States;  and  nothing  in  this  constitution  shall  be  so  construed  as  to 
prejudice  any  claims  of  the  United  States,  or  of  any  particular  state. 

Sect.  IV. — The  United  States  shall  guarantee  to  every  state  in  this  Union 
a  republican  fonn  of  government,  and  shall  protect  each  of  them  against 
invasion ;  and,  on  application  of  the  legislature,  or  of  the  executive,  (when 
the  legislature  cannot  be  convened,)  against  domestic  violence. 

ARTICLE  V. 

f  he  congress,  whenever  two-thirds  of  both  houses  shall  deem  it  necessary 
shall  propose  amendments  to  this  constitution ;  or,  on  the  application  of  the 
legislatures  of  two-thirds  of  the  several  states,  shall  call  a  convention  for 
proposing  amendments ;  which,  in  either  case,  shall  be  valid,  to  all  intents 
and  purposes,  as  part  of  this  constitution,  when  ratified  by  the  legislatures 
of  three-fourths  of  the  several  states,  or  by  conventions  in  three-fourths 
thereof,  as  the  one  or  the  other  mode  of  ratification  may  be  proposed  by  th€ 
congress  t  provided,  that  no  amendment  which  may  be  made  prior  to  the 
year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  eight,  shall,  in  any  manner,  atfect  th« 
first  and  fourth  clauses  in  the  ninth  section  of  the  first  article ;  and  that  no 
state,  without  its  consent,  shall  be  deprived  of  its  equal  suffrage  in  the 
senate. 

ARTICLE  VL 

L  All  debts  contracted,  and  engagements  entered  into,  before  the  adoption 
of  this  constitution,  shall  be  as  valid  against  the  United  States,  under  this 
constitution,  as  under  the  confederation. 

2.  This  constitution,  and  the  laws  of  the  United  States  which  shall  be 
made  in  pursuance  thereof,  and  all  treaties  made,  or  which  shall  be  made, 
under  the  authority  of  the  United  States,  shall  be  the  supreme  law  of  the 
land ;  and  the  judges  in  every  state  shall  be  bound  thereby ;  any  thing  in  the 
constitution  or  laws  of  any  state  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding. 

3.  The  senators  and  representatives  before  mentioned,  and  the  members 
of  the  several  state  legislatures,  and  all  executive  and  judicial  oflficers,  both 
of  the  United  States  and  of  th*^  several  states,  shall  be  bound  by  oath  or 
affirmation  to  support  this  constitution :  but  no  religious  test  shall  ever  be 
required  as  a  qualification  to  any  office  or  public  trust  under  the  United 
States. 

ARTICLE  Va 

The  ratification  of  the  conventions  of  nine  states  shall  be  sufficient  for  the 
tPtablislimeDt  of  this  constitution  between  the  states  so  ratifying  the  same. 

GEO.  WASHINGTON,  President 

WiLUAM  Tackson,  Secretary. 


AMENDMENTS  TO  THE  CONSTITUTION. 

AmT.  I.— Congress  shall  make  no  law  respecting  an  establishment  tt 
teiigion,  or  prohibiting  the  free  exercise  thereof ;  or  abridging  the  freedom 
of  sj  eech,  or  of  the  press  ;  or  the  right  of  the  people  peaceably  to  ajsemblfl 
and  to  petition  the  government  for  a  redress  of  grievances. 

Aet.  II. — A  well  regulated  militia  being  necessary  to  tha  security  of  a 
fn%  state  the  right  of  the  people  to  keep  and  bear  arms  shall  not  M 


AFPSNDIX.  48'1( 

Am.  m. — No  soldier  shall,  in  tiraf  of  peace,  be  qnartertd  in  any  house, 
vrithont  the  consent  of  le  owner ;  nor  in  time  of  war,  but  in  a  manner  to 
De  prescribed  by  law. 

Aet.  IV. — The  right  of  the  people  to  be  secure  in  their  persons,  houses, 
papers,  and  effects,  against  unreasonable  searches  and  seizures,  shall  not  be 
violated;  and  no  warrants  shall  issue,  but  upon  probable  cause,  suppoi ted 
hj  oath  or  affirmation,  and  particularly  describing  the  place  to  be  searched, 
ind  the  persons  or  things  to  be  seized. 

Aet.  V. — No  person  shall  be  held  to  answer  for  a  capital,  or  otherwise 
infamous  crime,  unless  on  a  presentment  or  indictment  of  a  grand  jury, 
except  in  cases  arising  in  the  land  or  naval  forces,  or  in  the  militia  when  in 
actual  service,  in  time  of  war  or  public  danger ;  nor  shall  any  person  be 
subject,  for  the  same  offence,  to  be  twice  put  in  je-^pardy  of  life  or  limb 
nor  be  deprived  of  life,  liberty,  or  property,  without  due  process  of  law/  noi 
ghall  be  compelled,  in  any  criminal  case,  to  be  a  witness  against  himse.f 
shall  private  property  be  taken  for  public  use,  without  just  compensation. 

Art.  VI. — In  all  criminal  prosecutions,  the  accused  shall  enjoy  the  right 
to  a  speedy  and  public  trial,  by  an  impartial  jury  of  the  state  and  distri<  t 
wherein  the  crime  shall  have  been  committed,  which  district  shall  hare 
been  previously  ascertained  by  law,  and  to  be  informed  of  the  nature  and 
cause  of  the  accusation;  to  be  confronted  with  the  witnesses  against  himj 
to  have  compulsory  process  for  obtaining  witnesses  in  his  favour ;  and  to 
nave  the  assistance  of  counsel  for  his  defence. 

Art.  VII. — In  suits  at  common  law,  where  the  value  in  controversy  shall 
exceed  twenty  dollars,  the  right  of  trial  by  jury  shall  be  preserved;  and  no 
fact  tried  by  a  jury  shall  be  otherwise  re-examined  in  any  court  of  the 
United  States,  than  according  to  the  rules  of  the  common  law. 

Art.  VIII. — Excessive  bail  shall  not  be  required,  nor  excessive  fines 
imposed,  nor  cruel  and  unusual  punishments  inflicted. 

Art.  IX. — The  enumeration  in  the  constitution  of  certain  rights  shali  not 
be  "construed  to  deny  or  disparage  others  retained  by  the  people. 

Art.  X. — The  powers  not  delegated  to  the  United  States  by  the  constita- 
on,  nor  prohibited  b}'  it  to  the  states,  are  reserved  to  the  states  respectively, 
or  to  the  people. 

Art.  XI. — The  judicial  power  of  the  United  States  shall  not  be  construed 
to  extend  to  any  suit  in  law  or  equity,  commenced  or  prosecuted  against  one 
of  the  United  States,  by  citizens  of  another  state,  or  by  citizens  or  subjects 
(tf  any  foreign  state. 

Art.  XII. — 1.  The  electors  shall  meet  in  their  respective  states,  and  vot* 
by  ballot  for  president  and  vice-president,  one  of  whom,  at  least,  shall  not 
be  an  inhabitant  of  the  same  state  with  themselves  ;  they  shall  name,  iii 
their  ballots,  the  person  voted  for  as  president,  and  in  distinct  ballots  the 
person  voted  for  as  vice-president;  and  they  shali  make  distinct  lists  of  all 
persons  voted  for  as  president,  and  of  all  persons  voted  for  as  vice-president, 
and  of  the  number  of  votes  for  each,  which  list  they  shall  sign  and  certify,  and 
transmit  sealed  to  the  seat  of  government  of  the  United  States,  directed  to  tfee 
©resident  of  the  senate ;  the  president  of  the  senate  shall,  in  the  presence  of  the 
wnate  and  house  of  representatives,  open  all  the  certificates,  and  the  votes 
snail  then  be  counted :  the  person  having  the  greatest  number  of  votes  for  pre- 
sident shall  be  the  president,  if  such  number  be  a  majority  of  the  whole  nura- 
Der  of  electors  appointed ;  and  if  no  person  have  such  majority,  then  from  the 
persons  having  the  highest  numbers,  not  exceeding  three,  or  the  list  of  thoM 
foted  for  as  president,  the  house  of  representatives  shall  choose  imme^liatelyi 
oy  ballot,  the  president.  But  in  choosing  the  president,  the  vote  ihwll  be 
taken  by  states,  the  representation  from  each  state  having  one  vote:  a 
quorum  for  this  purpose  shall  consist  of  a  member  or  members  from  two- 
thirds  of  the  states*,  and  a  majority  of  all  the  states  shall  be  necessarjr  to  a 
choice.  And  if  the  house  of  representatives  ,sliall  not  choose  a  prbsident, 
whenever  the  right  of  choice  shall  devolve  upon  them,  before  the  fourtk 
ilay  of  March  next  following,  then  the  vice-president  shall  aet  as  ^€m> 


488 


dent,  as  In  the  case  of  the  death,  or  other  constitutional  debility  of  the  preil* 
dent. 

2.  The  person  havino:  the  greatest  number  of  votes  as  vice-president  shall  be 
the  vice-president,  if  such  number  be  a  majority  ol'  the  whole  number  of  electors 
appointed  ;  and  if  no  person  iiave  a  majority,  then  from  the  two  hif^hest  num- 
bers on  the  list  the  senate  shall  choose  the  vice-president :  a  quorum  for  the 
purpose  shall  consist  of  two-thirds  ol"  the  whole  number  of  senators,  and  a 
majority  of  the  whole  number  t^hall  be  necessary  to  a  choice. 

3.  But  no  person  constitutionally  ineligible  to  the  office  of  president  shall  be 
eligible  to  that  of  vice-president  of  the  United  States. 

Art.  XIII.  Sect.  1. — Neither  slavery,  nor  involuntnry  servitude,  except  as  a 
punishment  for  crime,  whereof  the  party  shall  have  been  duly  convicted,  shall 
exist  within  the  United  States,  or  any  place  subject  to  their  jurisdiction. 

Sect.  II.— Congress  shall  have  power  to  enforce  this  Article  by  appropriate 
legislation. 

Art.  XIV.  Sect.  I.— All  persons  born  or  naturalized  in  the  United  States 
and  subject  to  the  jurisdiction  thereof,  are  citizens  of  the  United  States  and  of 
the  state  wherein  thev  reside.  No  state  shall  make  or  enforce  any  law  which 
shall  abridge  the  privileges  or  immunities  of  citizens  of  the  United  States  ;  noi 
shall  any  state  deprive  any  person  of  life,  liberty,  or  property  without  due  pro- 
cess of  law  ;  nor  deny  to  any  person  within  its  jurisdiction  the  equal  protection 
of  the  laws. 

Sect.  II.— Representatives  shall  be  apportioned  among  the  several  states 
according  to  their  respective  numbers,  counting  the  whole  number  of  persons 
in  each  state,  excluding  Indians  not  taxed  ;  but  when  the  right  to  vote  at  any 
election  for  choice  of  electors  for  president  and  vice-president  of  the  United 
States,  representatives  in  congress,  the  executive  and  judicial  olflcers  of  a  state, 
or  the  members  of  the  legislature  thereof,  is  denied  to  any  of  the  male  inhabi- 
tants of  such  state  (being  twenty-one  years  of  age  and  citizens  of  the  United 
States^  or  in  any  way  abridged,  except  for  participation  in  rebellion,  or  other 
crime,  the  basis  of  representation  therein,  shall  be  reduced  in  the  proportion 
which  the  number  of  such  male  citizens  shall  bear  to  the  whole  number  of  male 
citizens  twenty-one  years  of  age  in  such  state.  - 

Sect.  III. — No  person  shall  be  a  senator  or  representative  in  congreso,  or 
elector,  or  president  or  vice-president,  or  hold  anj^  office,  civil  or  military,  under 
the  United  States,  or  under  any  state,  who,  having  previously  taken  an  oath  as 
a  member  of  congress,  or  as  an  officer  of  the  United  States,  or  as  a  member  of 
any  state  legislature,  or  as  an  executive  or  judicial  officer  of  any  state,  to  sup- 
port the  constitution  of  the  United  States,  shall  have  engaged  in  insurrection 
or  rebellion  against  the  same,  or  given  aid  or  comfort  to  tlie  enemies  thereof ; 
but  congress  may,  by  a  vote  of  two-thirds  of  each  house,  remove  such  disability. 

Sect.  IV. — The  validity  of  the  public  debt  of  the  United  States,  authorized  by 
law,  including  debts  incurred  for  payment  of  pensions  and  bounties  for  services 
in  suppressing  insurrection  or  rebellion,  shall  not  be  questioned.  But  neither 
the  United  States  nor  any  state  shall  assume  or  pay  any  debt  ()r  obligation 
incurred  in  aid  of  insurrection  or  rebellion  against  the  United  States,  or  any 
claim  for  the  loss  or  emancipation  of  any  slave  ;  but  all  such  debts,  obligations 
and  claims,  sliall  be  held  illegal  and  void. 

Sect.  V. — The  congress  shall  have  power  to  enforce,  by  appropriate  legisla- 
tion, the  provisions  of  this  Article. 

Art.  XV.  Sect.  1.— The  right  of  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  to  vote  shall 
not  be  denied  or  abridged  by  the  United  States,  or  by  any  state,  on  account  of 
race,  color,  or  previous  condition  of  servitude. 

Sect.  II.— The  congress  shall  have  power  to  enforce  this  Article  by  appro- 
priate legislation. 


POPULATION  OF  THE  AMERICAN  COLONIES. 
Tota.  population  in  1701,  262,000.   Total  population  in  1749.  986,000. 


EXPENSE  OF  THE  REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 

Estimated  amount  of  expenditures  from  1775  to  1784,  —  in  specie,  — 
$135,193,703. 

Emissions  of  continental  money  from  1776  to  1781.  Old  emission, 
$357,476,541.    New  emission,- $2,070,485. 

By  comparing  this  amount  of  papier  money  with  the  preceding  estimate  of 
the  expense  of  the  war,  in  specie,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  average  deprecia- 
tion of  the  whole  amount  issued  was  nearly  two-thirds  of  its  original  value. 


APPJ3NDIX.  48d 
WHOOPS  EMPLOYED  DURING  THE  REVOLUTION. 

[From  Dr.  Holmes's  Annals.] 
Land  forces  employed  by  Great  Britain  in  America,  1774-1780. 


1774  6,884  Died  and  deserted  19,381 

1775  11,219  Prisoners      .      .  5,336 

1776  45,865   

1777  48,616  24,717 


Lost  of  the  army  .  24,717 
Los'  of  the  navy     .  4,314 

29,031 


Naval  force  for  the  above  four  years. 

Men  of  war  and  armed  vessels  ...  83 
Complement  of  men  .....  22,337 
Of  which  were  lost  by  death  .        .        .        .  4,314 

British  corps  and  recruits  sent  from  Great  Britain  or  Ireland  to  North 
America  or  the  West  Indies. 

ms        .        .        .  3,774) 

1779  .         .         .  6,871  >■  Total,  20,882. 

1780  .         .         .  10,237) 

Men  and  marines  employed  by  Great  Britain  during  the  American  war. 

Raised  for  his  majesty's  navy,  marines  included,  from  September  29,  1774, 

to  Septemoer  29,  1780   175,990 

Of  whom,  in  five  years,  beginning  with  1776,  and  ending  with  1780, 

^l?e  killed       :        :        :  Total,  W 

Deserted  ....  42,069 


PRESIDENTS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES,  FROM  THE  ADOPTION 
OF  THE  CONSTITUTION. 


Term  began. 

Term  ended. 

1.  George  Washington, 

Virginia, 

April  30,  1789, 

March  3,  1797. 

2.  John  Adams, 

Massachusetts, 

March  4,  1797, 

1801. 

3.  Thomas  Jefferson, 

Virginia, 

1801, 

1809. 

4.  James  Madison, 

Virginia, 

1809, 

1817. 

5.  James  Monroe, 

Virginia, 

1817, 

1825. 

6.  John  Qninc}^  Adams, 

Massachusetts, 

1825, 

1829. 

7.  Andrew  J ackson. 

Tennessee, 

1829, 

1837. 

8.  Martin  Van  Buren, 

New  York, 

1837, 

1841. 

9.  William  Henry  Harrison,* 

Ohio, 

1841, 

April  4,  1841. 

10.  Johm  Tyler, 

Virginia, 

April  4,  1841, 

March  3,  1845. 

11.  James  Knox  Polk, 

Tennessee, 

March  4,  1845, 

1849. 

12.  Zachary  Taylor,* 

Louisiana, 

1849, 

July  9,  1850. 

13.  Millard  Fillmore, 

New  York, 

July  9,  1850, 

March  3.  1853. 

14.  Franklin  Pierce, 

N.  Hampshire, 

March  4,  1853, 

1857. 

15.  James  Buchanan, 

Pennsylvania, 

1857, 

1861. 

16.  Abraham  Lincoln,* 

Illinois, 

1861, 

April  14,  1865. 

17.  Andrew  Johnson, 

Tennessee, 

April  15,  1865, 

March  3,  1869. 

18.  Ulysses  S.  Grant, 

Illinois, 

March  4,  1869, 

"  1877. 

19.  Rutherford  B.  Hayes, 

Ohio, 

1877, 

"  1881 

iO.  James  A.  Garfield, 

Ohio, 

1881, 

*  Died  in  oflSce. 


490 


POPULATION  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  ACCORDING  TO  THE 

TENTH  CENSUS. 


STATES. 

Total  Popula- 
tion, 1880. 

DISTRIBUTION  BY  SEX. 

Males. 

Females. 

Alabania 

1,262,794 

622,890 

639,904 

Arizona 

40,441 

28,202 

12,239 

A.rkEnsas 

802,564 

416,383 

386,181 

Californiii 

864^686 

518,271 

346,415 

Colorado 

194^649 

129,471 

65,178 

Connecticut 

622,683 

305,886 

316.797 

Dakota 

135,180 

82,302 

52,818 

Delaware 

146'654 

74,153 

72,501 

District  of  Columbia 

177^638 

83,594 

94,044 

Florida 

267,351 

135,393 

131,958 

Georgia 

1,539,048 

761,184 

777,864 

Idaho 

31,611 

21,818 

10,793 

Illinois 

3,078,769 

1,587,433 

1,491,336 

Indiana     .  ,   

1,978,362 

1,010,676 

967,686 

Iowa 

1,624,620 

848,234 

776,386 

Kansas 

995,966 

536,725 

459,241 

Kentucky 

1,648^708 

832,676 

816,032 

Louisiana 

940, 103 

468,833 

471,270 

Maine.  . 

648,945 

324,084 

324,861 

Maryland  

934,632 

462,004 

472,628 

Massachusetts  , . , . 

1,783,012 

858,475 

9^.  ,537 

Michio'an 

1,636,331 

862,276 

774,055 

Minnesota 

'780,'806 

419,262 

361,544 

Mississippi 

l,13l'592 

567,137 

564,455 

Missouri 

2,168^804 

1,127,424 

1,041,380 

Montana 

39,157 

28,180 

10,977 

Nebraska 

452  433 

249,275 

203,158 

Nevada 

62,265 

42,013 

20,252 

New  Hampshire 

34fi'QS4 

170,575 

176,409 

New  Jer"»ey 

1  130,983 

559,823 

571,160 

New  Mexico 

11 8' 430 

63,751 

54,679 

New  York  

5,083^810 

2,506,283 

2,577,527 

1,400,047 

688,203 

711,844 

Ohio  

3,198,239 

1,614,165 

1,584,074 

Oregon  

174,767 

103,388 

71,379 

Pennsylvania  

4,282,786 

2,136,635 

2,146,151 

Rhode  Island  

276,528 

133,033 

143,495 

South  Carolina  

995,622 

490,469 

505,153 

Tennessee  

1,542,463 

769,374 

773,089 

Texas  

1,592,574 

838,719 

753,855 

Utah  

143,906 

74,470 

69,436 

Vermont  

332.286 

166,888 

165,398 

Virginia  

1,512,806 

745.839 

766,967 

Washington  

75,120 

45,977 

29,143 

618,443 

314,479 

303,964 

1,315,480 

680,106 

635,374 

Wyoming   

20,788 

14,151 

6,637 

Total  

50,152,866 

25,520,582 

24,632,284 

AFPENDIX. 


491 


POPULATION  OF  THE  PRINCIPAL  CITIES  IN  THE  UNITED 

STATES. 


New  York  

Philadelphia  . . . 

Brooklyn  

Chicago  

Boston  

St.  Louis   

Baltimore  

Cincinnati  

San  Francisco. . 
New  Orleans . . . 

Cleveland  

Pittsburg  

Buffalo  

Washington  

Newark  

Louisville  

Jerse;^  City  

Detroit  

Milwaukee  

Providence   

Albany  

Rochester  

Allegheny.  Pa. . 
Indianapolis  . . . 

Richmond  

New  Haven  

Lowell  

Worcester  

Troy  

Kansas  City  

Cambridge,  Mass 

Syracuse   

Columbus,  Ohio 

Paterson  

Toledo  

Charleston  

Fall  River  

Minneapolis  

Scranton  

Nashville  

Reading. . , . , 

Hartford  

Wilmington. .. . 

Camden  

St.  Paul  

Lawrence,  Mass 

Dayton  

Lynn  

Denver  

Oakland,  Cal. . . 

Atlanta  

Utica    

Portland,  Me  . . 

Memphis  

Springfield,  Mass 
Manchester,  N.  H 
St.  Joseph,  Mo . 
Grand  Rapids, Mich 
Wheeling,  W.  Ya. 

Mobile  

Hoboken . . . 
Harrisburg. . 
Savannah  . . 
Omaha  


33,181 
42,520 


n90. 


18,038 
13,503 


16,359 


96,373 
96,664 
4,402 

32,250 

46,555 
2,540 

17,242 
547 
4,768 
1,508 


1,357 


10,071 
9,356 


9,735 
5,772 


1810. 


24,711 


,955 


7,169 


2,76^ 
615 


1830. 


203,007 
167,188 
12,042 

61,392 

50,625 
24,831 

46,310 
1,076 
12.542 
8,653 
18,827 
10,593 
10,352 

2,222 

16,832 
24,238 
9,269 


16,060 
10,180 
6,474 

11,401 


2,435 


5,566 
7,074 


8,323 
12,601 

6,784 
877 


3,194 
9V748 


1840. 


312,710 
258,03^ 
36,233 
4,479 


102,313 
46,338 

102,193 
6,071 
21,115 
18,213 
23,364 
17,290 
21,210 

9,102 
1,700 
23,171 
33,721 
20,191 


20,153 
14,890 
20,79r 
7,49' 
19,334 


6,502 
6,048 


29,261 


12,793 


12,782 
15,218 

10,985 
3,235 


12,672 
11,214 


1850. 


515,547 
408,762 
96,838 
29,963 
136,881 

169,054 
115,436 
15,000 
116,375 
17,034 
46,601 
42,261 
40,001 
38,894 
43,194 

21,019 
20,061 
41,513 
50,763 
36,403 


27,570 
20,345 
33,383 
17,049 
28,785 


22,271 
17, 
11,334 


10,478 
13,555 


17,565 
20,815 

11,766 
13,932 


20,515 
15,312 


1860. 


805,651 
585,529 
266,661 
109,260 
177,812 
160,773 
212,418 
161,044 
66,802 
168,675 
43,417 
49,217 
81,129 
61,122 
71,914 
68,033 
29,226 
45,619 
45,246 
50,666 
62,367 
48,204 
28,702 
18,611 
'37,910 
39,26"^ 
36,827 
24,960 
39,232 
•;,<118 
26,060 
2S,1 
1,:,554 
19,586 
1C,768 
40,578 
14,026 
5,822 
9,223 
16,988 
23,161 
29,154 
J?l,508 
14,358 
10,401 
17  639 
20,081 
19,083 

1V549 
9,554 
22.529 
26  341 
22,623 
15,199 
20,107 
8,932 
8,085 
14,083 
29,2.58 
9,1 
13,405 
22,292 
1,J 


1870. 


942,292 
674.022 
396;099 
■7 

250,526 
310,861 
267,354 
216,S*39 
149,473 
191,418 
92,829 
86,076 
117,714 
109,199 
105,059 
100,753 
82,546 
79,577 
71,440 
68  904 
69,422 
62,386 
53,180 
48,244 
51,038 
50,840 
40,928 
41,105 
46,46L 
32,260 
39,634 
43,051 
31,274 
33,r79 
31,584 
48,956 
26,766 
13,066 
35,092 
25,865 

37,1"- 

30,841 
20,045 
20,030 
28,921 
30,473 
U8,233 
4,759 
10,500 

2i,7r" 

28,804 
31,413 
40,226 
2t,  703 
23.536 
19.565 
16,507 
19,280 
32,034 
20,297 
23,104 
28,235 
16,083 


1880. 


,206,590 
846,984 
566,689 
503,304 
362,535 
350,522 
332,190 
255,708 
233,956 
216,140 
160,142 
15-,381 
155,137 
147,307 
136,400 
123,645 
120,728 
116,342 
11^  ^78 
104,850 
90,903 
8.,363 
73,681 
75,074 
63,803 
62,882 
59,485 
58,295 
56,747 
55,813 
52,740 
51,7911 
51,665 
50,887 
50,143 
49,999 
49,006 
46,887 
45,850 
43,461 
43,280 
42,553 
42,4.9 
41  658 
41,498 
39,178 
38,677 
38,284 
35,6?0 
34,556 
34,398 
33,913 
33,810 
3o,59C 
33,o40 
32,630 
32,;84 
32,0^5 
31,^36 
31,205 
30,999 
30,762 
30,681 
30,518 


492  APPENDIX. 


lyibie  of  tontemporar  y  Sovereigns  from  the  period  qf  the  Discovery  qf 
America  to  the  present  time. 


A.  D. 

ENGLAND. 

FRANCE. 

GERMANY. 

PAPAL  STi  TES. 

SPAIN. 

1 

|l492 

Henry  VII. 

CharlesVni. 

Frederick  IIL 

Alexander  VI. 

Catharine,  < 
[Nat, 

1493 

- 

•• 

Maximilian  I. 

1498 

- 

Louis  Xn. 

1503 

- 

- 

* 

Pius  III. 
Julius  IL 

1509 

Henry  VIIL 

1513 

- 

- 

- 

Leo  X. 

1515 

- 

Francis  L 

1516 

- 

- 

- 

Charles  L 

1519 

•• 

Charles  Y. 

Emperor 

1522 

Charles  V. 

- 

- 

Adrian  VL 

1523 

- 

- 

Clement  VIL 

1534 

- 

- 

• 

Paul  IIL 

1547 

Edward  VL 

Henry  IL 

1550 

- 

- 

- 

Julius  IIL 

1553 

Mary. 

,1555 

- 

- 

Marcellinus  IL 

1556 

- 

- 

- 

Paul  IV, 

Philip  IL 

1558 

Elizabeth. 

- 

Frederick  I. 

1559 

- 

Francis  IL 

- 

Pius  IV. 

1560 

Charles  IX. 

1564 

Maximilian  IL 

[1566 

- 

- 

- 

Pius  V. 

1572 

- 

- 

- 

Gregory  XIIL 

1574 

I 

Henry  IIL 

1576 

Rodolph  II 

1585 

•• 

- 

Sixtus  V. 

1589 

Henry  IV. 

1590 

Urban  VII 
Gregory  XIV. 

1591 

•» 

•• 

Innocent  IX. 

1592 

- 

•• 

Clement  VIIL 

1598 

- 

O.  BRITAXK. 

- 

PhlUpUL 

1603 

James  L 

1605 

- 

Leo  XL 
Paul  V. 

1610 

Lotlis  Xm. 

1612 

- 

Matthias. 

1619 

- 

Frederick  IL 

1621 

- 

Gregory  XV, 

Piilip  IT 

1623 

- 

- 

Urban  VHL 

1625 

Charlef  L 

1637 

- 

- 

Frederick  III. 

1643 

- 

Louis  XIV. 

1644 

- 

- 

Innocent  X. 

1655 

Alexander  VII. 

1658 

Leopold  L 

mo 

Charlei  IL 

,1665 

Charlcf  IL 

1667 

Clement  IX. 

ll€70 

Clement  X. 

't>76 

Innocent  XL 

i686 

JaaM  0. 

1 

APPENDIX.  493 


C50LA1ID 

rKAJfCE. 

A£&MAIfY. 

PAPAL  STATES. 

sPAin.  1 

1^  1689 

William  IIL 

Alex.  VIII. 

1691 

Innocent  XIL 

'  1694 

William  III. 

1700 

Clement  XI. 

Philip  V. 

1702 

Anne* 

1706 

Joseph  L 

1711 

Charles  VL 

1714 

1716 

Louia  XV. 

1721 

Innocent  XIIL 

1724 

- 

- 

Benedict  XIIL 

1727 

George  IL 

1730 

Clement  XII. 

1740 

Benedict  XIV. 

1742 

Charles  VIL 

1746 

Francis  1. 
and  Maria 
Teresa. 

1761 

Ferdinand  VL 

1768 

Clement  XIIL 

'l769 

Charles  IIL 

1760 

Qt^rgp  IIL 

1766 

Joseph  IL 

1769 

Clement  XTV. 

1774 

Louis  XVL 

1776 

Pius  VL 

1788 

- 

Charlci  «V« 

1790 

Leopold  IL 

1792 

Republioi 

Francis  IL* 

1800 

Pius  vn. 

1804 

Napoleon, 

£mperoi. 

AUST&IA. 

1806 

Francis  L 

1808 

- 

Ferd.  VII. 

J.  Napoleon. 

1811 

Re^ncjT. 

1814 

Lonii 
XVUI. 

Ferd.  VIL 

1820 

G«orv»  IV 

Leo  XIL 

1823 

1824 

Charlei  X« 

1830 

Lottis  Philip. 

1831 

William  IV 

- 

Gregorj  XVL 

1833 

Lwbella  IL 

1837 

Victoria. 

1846 

PiuiESL 

1848 

Republic. 

1861 

L.  Napoleon 

I 

President. 

1862 

[j.  Napoleon 
Emperor 

1870 

/\.IIlsl(.l«fuM  JU 

1871 

A..  Thiers, 

William  T., 

1873 

President. 

Emperor 

Gren.  McMa- 
bon,  Pres. 

1874 

Alfonso  \ 

1878 

Leo  Xin. 

Grdvy, 

_PreBident.  | 

r 

CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLR 


l%t  fLgure*  on  the  right  hand,  refer  to  the  page  of  the  history  on  which  cm  accoun, 

qf  each  event  referred  to  may  be  found.) 

leu  Piga 

1492  Columbus  discovers  the  New  World   18 

1497  The  Cabots  discover  the  Continent  of  North  America   2fl 

1499  Vespucci^s  voyage  with  Ojeda   19 

1501  Voyage  of  Cortereal   21 

1512  Juan  Ponce  de  Leon  discovers  Florida   24 

1523  Verrazani  explores  the  American  coast   21 

1526  Narvaez  attempts  the  conquest  of  Florida   25 

1534  Jaques  Cartier  sails  up  the  St.  Lawrence   21 

1539  Ferdinand  de  Soto  commences  the  conquest  of  Florida. ......  26 

1541  Soto  discovers  the  Mississippi  river   27 

1562  Ribault  leaves  a  French  colony  on  the  coast  of  Florida   28 

1564  Laudonniere  begins  a  French  settlement  on  the  river  May. ...  29 

1565  Laudonniere's  colony  destroyed  by  the  Spaniards   29 

St.  Augustine,  the  oldest  town  in  the  United  States,  founded 

by  Pedro  Melendez   2Q 

1568  The  Spanish  colony  on  the  river  May  destroyed  by  De 

Gourgues  n  30 

1576  Frobisher*8  expedition                                         .....      .  31 

1579  Oregon  territory  visited  by  Sir  Francis  Drake                   ;  31 

First  voyage  of  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert                        ,  .  32 

1583  Gilbert  takes  possession  of  Newfoundland   32 

1584  Rateigh*s  first  expedition  sent  to  Carolina  commanded  oy 

Amidas  and  Barlow  • .  32 

1603  Gosnold's  voyage  to  New  England   34 

1605  First  permanent  French  settlement  in  North  America  made 

at  Port  Royal   23 

1606  First  charter  of  Virginia  issued   36 

1607  Jamestown  in  Virginia  founded ;  the  earliest  permanent  English 

settlement  in  North  America   38 

1608  Quebec  settled  by  Champlain   23 

1609  Henry  Hudson  discovers  the  Hudson  nver                        .  Ill 

Second  charter  of  Virginia  granted   42 

1610  The  starving  time  in  Virginia.   45 

1611  Sir  Thomas  Dale  arrives  in  Virginia   46 

1613  New  York  settled  by  the  Dutch   Ill 

Expedition  of  Argall   112 

1819  First  General  Assembly  in  Virginia   5C 

1620  Landing  of  the  Pilgrims  at  Plymouth   78 

Iftai  Charter  granted  to  the  Dutch  West  India  Company  for  settling 

the  territory  between  the  Connecticut  and  the  Delaware. ...  113 

1622  Patent  granted  to  Gorges  and  Mason  by  the  Plymouth  Com- 

pany ^   88 

1623  Portsmouth  and  Dover  settled  by  Gorges  and  Mason   83 

Albany  aettled  by  tha  Dutch. .  *  -  ^   H> 


APPENDIX.  495 

1634  Disso  lution  of  the  London  CompcJiy   5b 

1627  The  Swedes  settle  on  the  Delaware,  and  call  their  colony  New 

Sweden   134 

1630  Heath's  patent,  for  Carolina,  granted   14!^ 

^  631  Clay  borne  forms  a  settlement  on  Kent  island  •  .  •  •  •  68 

1631  Windsor  in  Connecticut  settled   89 

1633  Maryland  settled  by  Lord  Baltimore   68 

The  Dutch  settle  at  Hartford  , . . . .  89 

1 634  Banishment  of  Roger  Williams  •  •  • .  •   8C 

Representative  form  of  government  first  adopted  in  New  £ng* 

land   86 

1635  Saybrook  settled  by  John  Wmthrop   89 

1636  Mr.  Hooker  emigrates  from  Massachusetts  to  Connecticut.  •  • .  89 

1637  Pequod  war.    Antinomian  controversy   90 

1638  New  Haven  settled   94 

1641  New  Hampshire  aimexed  to  Massachusetts   94 

1643  Confederation  of  the  New  England  colonies  •   94 

1644  Roger  Williams  obtains  a  charter  for  Rhode  Island   95 

1660  Connecticut  abandoned  by  the  Dutch   118 

1651  Virginia  capitulates  to  the  parliament   60 

Risingh  takes  Fort  Casimir  from  the  Dutch   113 

1655  Stuyvesant  the  Dutch  governor  of  New  York  conquers  New 

Sweden     118 

1060  Charles  II  proclaimed  in  Virginia   60 

Arrival  of  the  regicides  Whalley  and  GofFe  in  Boston.   38 

1863  Lord  Clarendon  obtains  a  charter  for  Carolina   42 

1664  Commissioners  sent  to  New  England  to  regulate  the  colonies.  100 

New  York  taken  from  the  Dutch  by  the  English   114 

Charles  II  grants  to  the  Duke  of  York  a  patent  for  the  country 

from  the  Delaware  to  the  Connecticut  •   1 14 

The  Duke  of  York  grants  New  Jersey  to  Berkeley  and  Carteret  114 

1670  Port  Royal  in  South  Carolina  settled  by  Governor  Sayle   146 

1671  Charleston  settled   14S 

1673  New  York  re-conquered  by  the  Dutch   116 

1674  New  York  restored  to  the  English  at  the  treaty  of  Westminster  115 

1675  Commencement  of  King  Philip's  war   102 

1676  Bacon's  rebellion  in  Virginia  ••••••   64 

Death  of  King  Philip   102 

Maine  purchased  by  Massachusetts   102 

1681  First  representative  assembly  in  New  Jersey   132 

Penn  receives  a  charter  for  Pennsylvania   137 

1682  PhUadelphia  founded   138 

1684  Colonel  Dongan  and  Lord  Effingham's  treaty  with  the  Five 

Nations                                                             ...  118 

168i5  Charles  U  dies  and  is  succeeded  by  James  II   102 

1686  Sir  Edmund  Andros  appointed  President  of  New  England. ...  10 

1687  Andros  attempts  to  deprive  Connecticut  of  its  charter   103 

1888  New  York  and  New  Jersey  added  to  the  jurisdiction  of  Andros  1 19 
Revolution  in  England,  which  gives  the  sovereignty  to  William 

and  Mary   108 

1889  Andros  deposed  and  imprisoned,  and  William  and  Mary  pro- 

claimed at  Boston   108 

Jacob  Leifller  usurps  th«  govenunent  of  New  York  • . .  •  •  18C 

40* 


496  APPENDIX. 

Ytar  fH 

,689  War  on  t\je  Canada  border.    Port  Royal  in  Nova  ScotSa  taken 

from  the  French   104 

1691  Colonel  Sloughter  appointed  governor  of  New  York   122 

Leisler  deposed  and  executed..   122 

1694  Culture  of  rice  introduced  into  South  Carolina                 •  •  149 

1697  Peace  of  Ryswick.   104 

1701  Penn  grants  a  nev^r  charter  to  Pennsylvania   140 

Lord  Combury  appointed  governor  of  New  York   127 

702  War  with  France  and  Spain   104 

Expedition  against  St.  Augustine  <  •  •  •  •  149 

War  on  the  Canada  border   105 

706  Unsuccessful  attack  of  the  Spaniards  on  Charleston   150 

1711  Unsuccessful  invasion  of  Canada   105 

1712  War  in  North  Carolina  with  the  Tuscarora  and  Coree  Indians  144 

1715  War  of  the  Yemassees   150 

1729  North  and  South  Carolina  separated  •   145 

1732  General  Oglethorpe  obtains  a  charter  for  Georgia   151 

1733  General  Oglethorpe  colonises  Georgia  •   151 

1740  Oglethorpe  besieges  St.  Augustine   154 

1742  Invasion  of  Georgia  by  the  Spaniards,  successfully  resisted. . .  155 

1744  War  between  France  and  England   107 

1745  Louisbourg  taken   109 

1748  Treaty  of  Aix-la-Chapelle   110 

1752  Charter  of  Georgia  surrendered  to  the  king  •   156 

1754  Commencement  of  the  Old  French  War   156 

Congress  of  Delegates  from  seven  colonies  meets  at  Albany.. .  159 

1755  Nova  Scotia  conquered  by  the  British   159 

Defeat  of  General  Braddock  •  • .  • .  162 

1756  War  formally  declared  between  France  and  England   163 

Fort  Oswego  taken  by  Montcalm   164 

"1757  Fort  William  Henry  taken  by  Montcalm   165 

1758  Forts  Du  Quesne  and  Frontignac  taken  by  the  English   167 

1759  Quebec  taken.    General  Wolf  killed   168 

1765  Stamp  act  passed  •  •   173 

First  Continental  Congress  meets  at  New  York.  •  •  •   174 

1766  Stamp  act  repealed  •   174 

1768  Boston  garrisoned  by  British  troops  •••   178 

1770  Boston  Massacre   180 

1772  Affair  of  the  schooner  Gaspee   181 

1773  Tea  destroyed  in  Boston   184 

1774  Boston  Port  bill  passed   184 

Continental  Congress  assembles  at  Philadelphia   195 

1776  April  19  Battle  of  Lexington  and  Concord   189 

May       Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point  taken  •  •  •  194 

June  17  Washington  appointed  commander  in  chief •  196 

Battle  of  Breed's  Hill   196 

Not.  19  Montreal  taken   201 

Dec  31  Attack  on  Quebec  defeated.    Montgomery  killed. .  •  204 

1776  March  17  Boston  evacuated  by  the  British   199 

June  28  Attack  on  Charleston  defeated    211 

July    4  Declaration  of  Independence  •  ••  •  •  S16 

Aug.  26  Americans  defeated  on  Long  Island.   220 

Sept  15  New  York  occupied  by  the  BritiBh......  ^.  W 


APPENDIX.  497 

1776  Oct  28  Battle  of  White  Plains   322 

New,       Retreat  of  Washington  through  ]\ew  Jersey., 223 

Dec  26  Battle  of  Trenton   225 

1777  Jan.  2    Battle  of  Princeton   226 

Arrival  of  La  Fayette   230 

Arrival  of  Burgoyne   236 

July        Ticonderoga  taken  by  Burgoyne's  troops   238 

Capture  of  General  Prescott   22i 

General  Howe  leaves  New  York  and  sails  with  1600 

men  for  the  South   233 

Aug.  16  Battle  of  Bennington   240 

11  Battle  of  Brandy  wine   233 

18  Congress  leaves  Philadelphia  •   • .  •  234 

19  Battle  of  Stillwater   243 

26  Philadelphia  occupied  by  the  British   234 

Oct    4  Battle  of  Germantown   234 

7  Second  Battle  of  Stillwater   244 

12  Surrender  of  Burgoyne  245 

22  Battle  of  Redbank   235 

Nov  16  Articles  of  Confederation  of  the  United  States  ratified  228 

Dec    11  Washington  retires  to  Valley  Forge   236 

1778  Treaty  between  France  and  the  United  States.. ....  248 

May       Retreat  of  Barren  Hill   261 

June  18  The  British  evacuate  Philadelphia   261 

28  Battle  of  Monmouth   252 

July       Arrival  of  Count  d^Estaing  with  a  French  fleet  252 

Massacre  at  Wyoming   s^54 

Aug,       Unsuccessful  attempt  to  recover  Rhode  Island   253 

Dec,  28  The  British  take  Savannah  ,  255 

1779  Feb,       Unsuccessful  attempt  of  the  British  on  Port  Royal.  259 

March  3  Battle  of  Briar  Creek  260 

April       General  Prevost  advances  towards  Charleston  262 

May        Descent  of  the  British  on  Virginia   257 

June  20  Defeat  of  General  Lincoln  at  Stono  Ferry   261 

July        Descent  of  the  British  on  Connecticut  257 

16  Storming  of  Stony  Point   258 

19  Storming  of  Paulus  Hook   258 

26  Defeat  of  the  Americans  at  Penobscot   258 

8ept       Arrival  of  the  French  fleet  at  Savannah   261 

23  Battle  of  the  Bon  Homme  Richard  and  Serapia. . . .  263 
Oct     4  Siege  of  Savannah   262 

1780  May    12  Charleston  capitulates   268 

29  Battle  at  the  Waihaws   267 

June    16  Kniphausen's  descent  on  New  Jersey   27^ 

July    12  British  defeated  at  Williamson's  Plantation   26fi 

Aug.    16  Battle  of  Camden   271 

18  Defeat  of  Sumter  at  Firling  Creek   272 

Sept        Arnold's  treason  at  West  Point   378 

Oct     7  Battle  of  King's  Mountain   273 

Dec         Revolt  of  the  Pennsylvania  troops   286 

'791  Jan.         Descent  of  Arnold  on  Virginia   281 

17  Battle  of  Cowpens.  • . .  •  283 

March  15  Battle  of  Guilford     S85 


498  APPENDIX. 

1781  April  23  Marion  takes  Fort  Watson  S8i 

May        Siege  of  Ninety  Six  287 

Aug.    4  Death  of  Colonel  Haj  ne  ,   291 

Sept.    6  Descent  of  the  British  on  New  London   293 

7  Naval  Engagement  of  De  Grasse  and  Graves  292 

8  Battle  of  Eutaw  289 

Oct         Siege  and  Surrender  of  Yorktown   297 

1782  Feb.   27  General  Conway  makes  a  motion  in  the  British 

Parliament  for  discontinuing  the  American  war. .  298 

March      Lord  North  retires  from  the  ministry   299 

N^v.        Treaty  of  Peace  between  the  United  States  and 

Great  Britain  signed   299 

Dec        American  officers  petition  Congress  for  payment  of 

arrears  300 

1783  March      Meeting  of  the  officers  301 

April  19  Cessation  of  hostilities  between  the  United  States 

and  Great  Britain,  proclaimed  by  General  Wash- 
ington  301 

Dec     4  Washington  takes  leave  of  the  officers  of  the  army  303 
23  Washington  resigns  his  commission   302 

1784  Sept        Shay's  rebellion   306 

1785  March      Convention  at  Alexandria   308 

1786  Sept        Convention  at  Annapolis   308 

1787  May        Convention  meets  at  Philadelphia  for  framing  the 

Federal  Constitution   309 

Sept  17  Constitution  made  public  309 

1789  March  4  Washington  Administration  commences   312 

1790  National  debt  funded  317 

1790  Aug     7  Creek  War  terminated  by  a  treaty   319 

1791  Nov.        Defeat  of  General  St  Clair   320 

Vermont  admitted  to  the  Union   320 

1794  Aug.  20  General  Wayne  defeats  the  Indians  on  the  Miami. .  323 
1797  March  4  CommeAcement  of  John  Adams's  Administration.  33:1 

1799  Dec    14  Death  of  General  Washington   333 

1800  Sept  30  Treaty  of  peace  between  the  United  States  and 

France  signed   33^ 

Nov        Congress  first  sits  at  Washington  333 

1801  March  4  Commencement  of  Jefferson's  Administration   334 

1802  July    20  Louisiana  ceded  to  France   336 

1803  April  30  Louisiana  purchased  by  the  United  States  338 

War  with  TripoU   338 

1806  May        British  Orders  in  Council  passed.   342 

Berlin  decree  of  Napoleon   343 

1807  Jum        Affair  of  the  Chesapeake  and  Leopard   343 

Dec         Embargo  Law  passed   •  .•  344 

Burr's  conspiracy  and  trial  ;   341 

18C9  March  4  Commencement  of  Madison's  Administration  34A 

Embargo  Law  repealed   344 

April  23  Mr.  Erskine  engages  on  behalf  of  the  British 
government  that  the  Orders  in  Council  shall  be 

rescinded  •   346 

1811  May  16  Affair  of  the  Little  Belt   848 

Nov.    7  Battle  of  Tippecanoe    349 


APPENDIX.  499 

18 IS  Feb.        John  Henry's  disclosure     349 

June   18  Declaration  of  war  against  Great  Britain  by  the 

Unitea  States   350 

1812  Aug.   16  Surrender  of  General  Hull   356 

19  Battle  of  Constitution  and  Guerriere   368 

Oct        Battles  of  Wasp  and  Frolic  and  of  the  United  Statea 

and  Macedonian   358 

13  Battle  of  Queenstown.   357 

Dec,        Battle  of  Constitution  and  Java. . . .  •   359 

1813  Jaii.     7  Defeat  of  General  Winchester  at  Frenchtown   361 

Feb.    24  Battle  of  Hornet  and  Peacock   369 

April       Siege  of  Fort  Meigs   362 

27  Capture  of  York  and  death  of  General  Pike   364 

May    27  Forts  George  and  Erie  taken   366 

29  Attack  on  Sackett's  Harbour   364 

Aug        Siege  of  Fort  Stephenson   371 

Sept       Battle  of  the  Enterprise  and  Boxer.   370 

10  Battle  of  Lake  Erie   372 

Oct     6  Battle  of  the  Thames   373 

10  Naval  action  on  Lake  Ontario   366 

Not.    8  Battle  of  Taladega   374 

10  Battle  of  Chrystler's  fields   366 

18  Battle  of  Hillibee   374 

1814  Jan.    14  Battle  of  Tallapoosa   374 

March      Battle  of  La  Cole  Mill   376 

April  29  Battle  of  the  Peacock  and  Epervier  ,   381 

May     5  Descent  of  the  British  on  Oswego   377 

June  28  Battle  of  Wasp  and  Reindeer   381 

July     6  Battle  of  Chippewa   377 

25  Battle  of  Bridgwater   377 

Sept     1  Castine  taken   386 

11  Battle  of  Plattsburg  and  Lake  Champlain.  •  379 

12  Battle  of  Baltimore   385 

Siege  of  Fort  Erie   378 

1814  Sept  15  Attack  on  Fort  Boyer   388 

Dec   24  Treaty  of  Peace  between  the  United  States  and 

Great  Britain,  signed  at  Ghent   393 

27  Traety  ratified  by  the  Prince  Regent  of  England..  393 

1 816  Jan.        Battle  of  the  Hornet  and  Penguin. .........   382 

8  Battle  of  New  Orleans.  < .  391 

Feb.        Battle  of  Constitution,  Cyane  and  Levant  382 

17  Treaty  of  Peace  between  Great  Britain  and  United 

States,  ratified  by  the  President   393 

March      War  declared  against  Algiers   394 

July     3  Commercial  Treaty  with  Great  Britain,  ratified  in 

London  >   393 

1816  Bank  of  the  United  States  chartered   394 

1817  March  4  Commencement  of  Monroe's  Administration   394 

1818  Seminole  War   396 

1821  Florida  ceded  to  the  United  States   396 

1826  March  4  Commencement  of  John  Quincy  Adams's  Adini* 

nistration   39€ 

Aug.   13  Arrival  of  La  Fayette  898 


500  APPENDIX. 

reu  ngi 

1826  July        4  Deatn  of  JoIil  Adams  and  Thomas  Jefferson  399 

1828  Tariff  Law   999 

1829  March     4  Commencement  of  Jackson's  Administration  .  400 

1830  New  Commercial  Treaty  with  Gfreat  Britain  400 
Treaty  with  Turkey  signed   .       .       .       .  400 

1832  Black  Hawk's  war  401 

New  Tariff  Law  enacted  401  ^ 

1833  Compromise  bill  respecting  the  Tariff  passed    .       .  402 
Sept     1 8  Removal  of  deposits  from  the  United  States  Bank  403 

1836  Dispute  with  France  termmated     .       .       •  404 

Creek  war  404 

Bill  for  the  distribution  of  the  surplus  reTcnue  pa««ied  404 

836  State  Bank  chartered  404 

Deo.  Michigan  admitted  into  the  Union  ....  406 

837  March     4  Commencement  of  Van  Buren's  Administration      .  406 

Great  commercial  embarrassments         .       •       ,  406 
May      10  Banks  of  New  York  suspended  specie  payments     .  406 
Sub  Treasury  scheme  defeated      ....  407 

Dec      25  Battle  of  Okee-Chobee  408 

1838  Disturbances  in  Canada.    Boundary  difScuIties      .  408 

1841  March     4  Commencement  of  Harrison's  Administration  .  .410 
April      4  Death  of  Harrison.  Tyler  becomes  President  •  .410 

Bank  bills  vetoed  411 

Trial  and  acquittal  of  McLeod       •       •       •         ^!  1 

1842  Congress  passes  the  Tariff  Bill     .       •       •  .412 
Ashburton  treaty  412 

1844  Treaty  of  Annexation  of  Texas  rejected .       •       .  412 

1845  March     4  Commencement  of  Polk's  Administration  •  413 

Oregon  treaty  413 

General  Taylor  ordered  to  Corpus  Christi      •  .413 

1846  Repeal  of  the  tariff  of  1842    414 

March   11  Taylor  leaves  Corpus  Christi  for  the  Rio  Grande     .  414 

24  Pomt  Isabel  occupied    .       ,       .       .       .  .414 
30  Fort  Brown  opposite  Matamoras  commenced         •  414 
May       1  Taylor  marches  to  Point  Isabel      .       .       .  414 
3  Bombardment  of  Fort  Brown  commenced,       .  .414 
8  &  9  Battles  of  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de  la  Palma  .  416 

15  &  18  Barita  and  Matamoras  taken  417 

Sept.     21  Attack  on  Monterey  commenced     ....  418 
22-4  Bishop's  Palace  taken.  Monterey  capitulates    •  419 
.W"  Feb.  22-3  Battle  of  Buena  Vista    ....  .422 
March  29  Vera  Cruz  capitulates.  .       •       •       •       .  426 

Ap'l  17-18  Battle  of  Cerro  Gordo.  Tuspan  taken     .  .  426 

California  and  New  Mexico  occupied      •       •       .  427 

Ap'l  19-22  Jalapa  and  Perote  taken  428 

May      15  Pu^bla  taken   .429 

Aug.    20  Contreras,  San  Pablo,  San  Antonio,  arwl  Chuinbusco 

taken.       -  428 

8ep.       8  Battle  of  Molina  del  Rey  430 

12-13  Storming  of  Chapultepec  "...  431 

14  City  of  Mexico  taken  ^  432 

27  Santa  Anna  bombards  Puebla .       •       •       .  433 
Oct       9  Battle  of  Huamantia  .  .  .  434 

19  Battle  of  Atlisro  .      .  48ft 


APPENt>I^. 


501 


te^Y  Page 

1848  Treaty  with  Mexico   435 

Nov.     •   Taylor  elected  President    436 

1849  May     19  Lopez's  Expedition  to  Cuba   437 

July      9  Death  of  General  Taylor  438 

1851  Lopez's  Second  Invasion  of  Cuba.    His  death.  439 

1852  Gen.  Pierce  elected  President  440 

1853  Hulseman's  Letter   440 

1854  Seizure  of  the  Black  Warrior  441 

Treaty  negotiated  with  Japan,  by  Com.  Perry.  441 
Destruction  of  Greytown  442 

May.       Passage  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill   443 

1855  Election  in  Kansas   443 

March.     Topeka  Convention   445 

1856  Feb.        Pres.  Pierce's  Proclamation  on  Kansas  446 

Mr.  Sumner  attacked  in  the  Senate  Chamber. .  447 

Sept.       Mr.  Geary  appointed  Governor  of  Kansas  448 

Indian  War  in  Oregon  449 

Disturbance  in  California   450 

Nov.        Election  of  Buchanan  President   451 

1857  Termination  of  Walker's  Government  in  Nica- 

ragua  452 

1860  Sept.    12  Walker  invades  Honduras.    Is  takeii  and  shot  453 
Nov.        Election  of  Abraham  Lincoln  as  President, . . .  453 

"      20  Mississippi,  Florida,  Alabama,  Georgia,  Louisi- 
ana, and  Texas  pass  ordinances  of  secession  453 

1861  Feb.      4  Convention  at  Montgomery,  Ala.,  adopts  Con- 

stitution of  the  Confederate  States,  and 

elects  Jefferson  Davis,  President  453 

March  4  Abraham  Lincoln  Inaugurated  at  Washing- 
ton 454 

April  12  Attack  on  Fort  Sumter  by  the  Confederates .  454 

"  15  President  Lincoln  calls  for  75,000  Militia   454 

**   May      3  Second  call  for  Troops  454 

June     3  Battle  of  Philippi   455 

10  Battle  of  Big  Bethel   455 

July    11  Battle  of  Rich  Mountain  455 

"  21  Battle  of  Bull  Run,  McDowell  defeated  by 

Beauregard  455 

Aug.    10  Battle  of  Wilson's  Creek,  Mo.,  Gen.  Lyon  killed  455 

29  Hatteras  Inlet  taken  455 

"   Sept.    10  Battle  of  Carnifex  Ferry,  Confederates  defeated 

by  Rosecrans   455 

Nov.     7  Port  Royal  taken  by  Commodore  Dupont  456 

8  Mason  and  Slidell  taken  from  the  British 

Steamer  Trent   455 

1862  Jan.     19  Battle  of  Mill  Spring   456 

Feb.      6  Fort  Henry  taken  by  Commodore  Foote  457 

8  Roanoke  Island  taken  by  Burnside   456 

16  Fort  Donelson  taken  by  Gen.  Grant  458 

Mar.  8-9  Naval  Engagement  in  Hampton  Roads  458 

"  14  Island  No.  10  taken  by  Gen.  Pope  and  Com. 

Foote   457 

April    5  Battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing   457 

11  Fort  Pulaski  taken  by  Gilmore   456 

"  28  Forts  Jackson  and  St.  Philip  taken  by  JB^arragut  456 


502 


AiPPENDIX. 


1862  May      1  Butler  enters  New  Orleans   456 

5  Battle  of  Williamsburg,  Ya   458 

"      31  Battle  of  Fair  Oaks   459 

"   June    26  Battle  of  Meehanicsville  459 

Battle  of  Gaines'  Mills   459 

July      1  Battle  of  Malvern  Hill  

Aug.    30  Second  Battle  of  Bull  Run.    Pope  defeated  by 

Lee   459 

Sept.    14  Battle  of  South  Mountain.    Lee  defeated  by 

MeClellan   459 

17  Battle  of  Antietam   459 

Oct.  8  Battle  of  Perry ville.  Bragg  defeated  by  Buell  460 
Dec.    11  Battle  of  Fredericksburg.    Burnside  defeated 

by  Lee.  460 

"      30  Battle  of  Stone  Biver.   Bragg  defeated  by  Rose- 

crans   460 

1863  Jan.      1  President  Lincoln  issues  Emancipation  Procla- 

mation 461 

March  3  Conscription  Act  passed   461 

May.       Battle  of  Chancellorsville.    Hooker  defeated 

by  Lee   461 

16  Battle  of  Champion's  Hill.  Pemberton  defeated 

by  Grant   462 

19-22  Grant  attacks  Vicksburg  462 

June.       Gen.  Milroy  surprised  at  Winchester   461 

25  Grant  attacks  Vicksburg   462 

July  1-3  Battle  of  Gettysburg,  Pa.     Lee  defeated  by 

Meade   461 

"  4  Pemberton  surrenders  Vicksburg  to  Grant  463 

8  Port  Hudson  surrenders  to  Gen.  Banks  463 

Sept.   19  Battle  of  Chicamauga.    Rosecrans  defeated  by 

Bragg  463 

Nov.    25  Battle  of  Chattanooga.    Bragg  defeated  by 

Grant   463 

1864  May      3  Lieut. -Gen.  Grant  issues  orders  for  the  advance 

of  the  Eastern  and  Western  armies  464 

8-12  Battles  of  the  Wilderness   464 

June    15  Petersburg  attacked  by  Gen.  Smith  464 

19  Alabama  defeated  and  sunk  by  the  Kearsarge 

off  Cherbourg,  France.   465 

July    28  Battle  of  Atlanta   465 

30  Mine  exploded  at  Petersburg  ....   465 

*    Aug.     5  Confederate  Forts  and  Fleet  at  Mobile  taken  by 

Farragut   466 

"     "      15  The  Georgia,  Confederate,  captured  by  the  Ni- 
agara  466 

Sept.     1  Atlanta  evacuated  by  Hood   467 

"   Oct.      7  The  Florida,  Confederate,  captured  by  the  Wa- 

chusett   466 

"  20  Sheridan  defeats  Early   465 

Nov.    15  Atlanta  destroyed  by  Sherman    467 

22  Milledgeville  taken  by  Sherman   467 

"    Dec.    10  Savannah  invested  by  Sherman  467 

1865  Feb.     16  Columbia,  S.  C,  taken  by  Sherman  468 

18  Charleston,  S,  0.^  occupied  by  Gilimore   468 


APPENDIX. 


605 


1865  Mar.  19-21  Battle  of  Bentonville.    Johnston  defeated  by 

Sherman   468 

"  25  Battle  of  Fort  Stedman  468 

April  1-2  Grant  carries  Confederate  lines  at  Petersburg.  468 

Flight  of  Confederate  Government  468 

4  Sheridan  cuts  otf  Lee's  line  of  retreat   468 

"      "        8  Gen.  Weitzel  enters  Richmond   468 

9  Lee  surrenders  at  Appomattox  Court  House. . .  469 

14  Assassination  of  President  Lincoln  by  Booth. .  469 

15  Andrew  Johnson  becomes  President ,   469 

26  Gen.  Johnston  surrenders  to  Gen.  Sherman. . .  470 

May     16  Jelierson  Davis  captured  in  Georgia   470 

* '    May- JunePresident  Johnson  appoints  provisional  Govern- 
ors for  several  Southern  States   470 

1866  AprH    9  Civil  Rights  Bill  passed   471 

June    13  Fourteenth  Amendment  to  the  Constitution 

adopted   471 

Fenian  attempts  on  Canada  472 

March  1  Nebraska  admitted  as  a  State   472 

Alaska  purchased  from  Russia   472 

1868  March  30  Trial  of  President  Johnson   472 

1869  March  4  Ulysses  S.  Grant  Inaugurated  President   472 

1870  March  30  President  Grant  issues  Proclamation  declaring 

Fifteenth  Amendment  adopted  473 

1871  Treaty  of  Washington  473 

*'   July.       Corean  Forts  attacked  by  Admiral  Rogers  474 

Oct.         Great  Fire  at  Chicago   473 

1873  Fighting  in  New  Orleans    474 

"   April  11  Gen.  Canby  killed  by  Modocs  474 

Oct.     31  Virginius  captured  by  Spanish  War  Steamer 

Tornado   474 

1874  Troubles  in  Louisiana   475 

1875  Congress  fixes  the  date  for  Resumption  of 

Specie  Payments   475 

Nov.    22  Death  of  Vice-President  AVikon   474 

1876  May.        Centennial  Exhibition  at  Philadelphia  opened.  475 
June   25  Gen.  Custer  defeated  and  killed  by  Sioux  on 

Little  Horn  River   475 

1877  March  4  Rutherford  B.  Hayes  Inaugurated   475 

1878  Yellow  Fever  at  Nev/  Orleans,  Yicksburg  and 

Memphis   476 

1879  Yellow  Fever  at  Memphis   „   476 

1881  March  4  James  A.  Garfield  inaugiiiated  President  477 

July      2  shot  by  J.  Guiteau,  at 

Washington  477 

Sept.     19  James  A.  Garfield  died  at  Long  Branch  477 
Sept.    20  Chester  A.  Arthur  inaugurated  President  477 
1885  March   4  Grover  Cleveland        *'  **  .  477 


